Kona Coffee Wars!
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konapage
Mar 19, 2009, 6:01:08 PM3/19/09
to Kona CoffeeTalk
Why you the consumer should Buy Direct only from KCFA member 100% Kona
coffee farmers:
For a proposed, updated, “Truth in Labeling” law, HB448, for Hawaii
products here is what the major processors, blenders, roasters, and
corporate farmers testified too and think of you the consumer:
Steven McLaughlin, CEO, Captain Cook Coffee Co. Ltd. “changing their
blends from 10% to 51% will drive the price to the consumer up by more
than 400%. Hotels and restaurants will stop using Kona coffee…”
Sidney Boulware, President HIE Holdings, Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee,
“Requiring 51% of Kona in order to call a Blend will significantly
increase the costs to the consumer and cause customers to trade down.”
Dave Gridley, President Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co. Board Member
Hawaii Coffee Association, “Many of these blend Hawaiian coffee which
allows us to sell more Hawaiian coffee. We are selling all the coffee
we can raise at record prices.”
Tom Greenwell, Greenwell Farms, Treasurer Kona Coffee Council, “HB 448
will jeopardize many established trademarks in Hawaii simply because
they “imply” that they are made in Hawaii…”
Carol Pregill, President, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, “The reality is
that a large proportion of the raw ingredients in Hawaii products are
imported”
Donna Woolley, President, Kona Coffee Council, “…raising the blend
from 10% to 51% represents an increase of 400% in the Kona coffee
content of the blend. Kona costs ten times as much as the rest of the
blend…Most of the restaurants and hotels in Hawaii serve 10% coffee
blends.”
An identical form letter came from the following persons: Jim Wayman,
President Hawaii Coffee Company, President Hawaii Coffee Council,
President, Hawaiian Coffee Asso.; Gloria Biven, Manager, Royal Kona
Visitor Center, Board Member KCC; John King, President Harold L. King
& Co.; Marcus King, Managing Director, Kai Vodka LLC.; Stephen
Collector, President Tropical Temptations, Vice President HCA, Board
Member KCC; Jim Lenharts, Vice President Hawaii Coffee Co.; Rod
Mckenzie, Vice President, Tropical Taste, Lion Coffee Distributor; Ron
Pestel, President of HIPAC Ltd.; Gene Pike, Sales Manager, CDS San
Diego; David Socopac Co.; Larry Wilkens, owner mainland Hawaii’s Lion
Coffee Café; all said “HB 448 would ban the use of any trademark on a
product if it “implies” “Hawaii” i.e. Royal Kona coffee…”
All of the parties that supported HB 448 were never notified of the
hearing and the opportunity to testify, including the sponsor of the
bill, until it was past the testimony deadline! So the bill failed in
committee!
To read the full testimony please go here scroll down until you find
HB 448, there are two entries: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/testimony/
So consumer, what does this tell you? These folks think you are
stupid! They want to keep you un-informed and keep stealing your hard
earned money by selling you inferior products!
They want to trade on the good name of Kona coffee. Did you know that
when you calculate the price of a bag of a 10% blend that the per
ounce cost is the same as buying 100% Kona coffee!
So if the cheap coffee they substitute into a blend is 90% less than
the cost of 100% Kona that means they are making extra-ordinary
PROFITS off of YOU! They also don’t want you to know that the foreign
coffee that they bring into Hawaii to roast into the blends has been
fumigated with methyl bromide a known carcinogen.
Oh yes, we would not want to leave out our “thanks” to our government
representatives who continue the disinformation and fail to represent
their constituency.
What can, you the consumer do? Buy Direct from KCFA members who sell
only 100% Kona coffee. Only our member farmers will GUARANTEE that
your purchase is 100% Kona coffee and has been grown to the highest
standards and freshly roasted!
Our member farmers in the Buy Direct program personally guarantee that
your purchase from them is 100% Kona coffee freshly roasted! Try and
get one of those folks that testified against the “Truth in Labeling”
bill to do that!
Our Guarantee!
We, Princess Radha Farm, Page and Yoko Trygstad, personally guarantee
that the 100% Kona coffee that you purchase from us is just that and
freshly roasted!
Signed
Page and Yoko Trygstad
coffee farmers:
For a proposed, updated, “Truth in Labeling” law, HB448, for Hawaii
products here is what the major processors, blenders, roasters, and
corporate farmers testified too and think of you the consumer:
Steven McLaughlin, CEO, Captain Cook Coffee Co. Ltd. “changing their
blends from 10% to 51% will drive the price to the consumer up by more
than 400%. Hotels and restaurants will stop using Kona coffee…”
Sidney Boulware, President HIE Holdings, Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee,
“Requiring 51% of Kona in order to call a Blend will significantly
increase the costs to the consumer and cause customers to trade down.”
Dave Gridley, President Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co. Board Member
Hawaii Coffee Association, “Many of these blend Hawaiian coffee which
allows us to sell more Hawaiian coffee. We are selling all the coffee
we can raise at record prices.”
Tom Greenwell, Greenwell Farms, Treasurer Kona Coffee Council, “HB 448
will jeopardize many established trademarks in Hawaii simply because
they “imply” that they are made in Hawaii…”
Carol Pregill, President, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, “The reality is
that a large proportion of the raw ingredients in Hawaii products are
imported”
Donna Woolley, President, Kona Coffee Council, “…raising the blend
from 10% to 51% represents an increase of 400% in the Kona coffee
content of the blend. Kona costs ten times as much as the rest of the
blend…Most of the restaurants and hotels in Hawaii serve 10% coffee
blends.”
An identical form letter came from the following persons: Jim Wayman,
President Hawaii Coffee Company, President Hawaii Coffee Council,
President, Hawaiian Coffee Asso.; Gloria Biven, Manager, Royal Kona
Visitor Center, Board Member KCC; John King, President Harold L. King
& Co.; Marcus King, Managing Director, Kai Vodka LLC.; Stephen
Collector, President Tropical Temptations, Vice President HCA, Board
Member KCC; Jim Lenharts, Vice President Hawaii Coffee Co.; Rod
Mckenzie, Vice President, Tropical Taste, Lion Coffee Distributor; Ron
Pestel, President of HIPAC Ltd.; Gene Pike, Sales Manager, CDS San
Diego; David Socopac Co.; Larry Wilkens, owner mainland Hawaii’s Lion
Coffee Café; all said “HB 448 would ban the use of any trademark on a
product if it “implies” “Hawaii” i.e. Royal Kona coffee…”
All of the parties that supported HB 448 were never notified of the
hearing and the opportunity to testify, including the sponsor of the
bill, until it was past the testimony deadline! So the bill failed in
committee!
To read the full testimony please go here scroll down until you find
HB 448, there are two entries: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/testimony/
So consumer, what does this tell you? These folks think you are
stupid! They want to keep you un-informed and keep stealing your hard
earned money by selling you inferior products!
They want to trade on the good name of Kona coffee. Did you know that
when you calculate the price of a bag of a 10% blend that the per
ounce cost is the same as buying 100% Kona coffee!
So if the cheap coffee they substitute into a blend is 90% less than
the cost of 100% Kona that means they are making extra-ordinary
PROFITS off of YOU! They also don’t want you to know that the foreign
coffee that they bring into Hawaii to roast into the blends has been
fumigated with methyl bromide a known carcinogen.
Oh yes, we would not want to leave out our “thanks” to our government
representatives who continue the disinformation and fail to represent
their constituency.
What can, you the consumer do? Buy Direct from KCFA members who sell
only 100% Kona coffee. Only our member farmers will GUARANTEE that
your purchase is 100% Kona coffee and has been grown to the highest
standards and freshly roasted!
Our member farmers in the Buy Direct program personally guarantee that
your purchase from them is 100% Kona coffee freshly roasted! Try and
get one of those folks that testified against the “Truth in Labeling”
bill to do that!
Our Guarantee!
We, Princess Radha Farm, Page and Yoko Trygstad, personally guarantee
that the 100% Kona coffee that you purchase from us is just that and
freshly roasted!
Signed
Page and Yoko Trygstad
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