The Gevalia Crown Competition

As I mentioned in my first post after our trip to Kona, Gevalia introduced a second competition this year to the Kona Coffee Competition: the Crown Competition. The Crown Competition was open to all farms that had large enough crops to submit 3,000 lbs. of coffee to be considered for an exclusive Gevalia Kona Coffee. This year, there were 11 entrants, and the winning coffee was ‘Ono Kona Coffee, from Arianna Farms.

Arianna Farms is a 40-acre farm in Holualoa with an elevation of 1,600-2,000 feet. The farm is many decades old, and for the last eight years it has been run by owners Sharon and Bob Wood. Of the farm’s 40 acres, 12 are in full-production of coffee, four are planted with the coming Kona crop and six are ready to be planted. You can learn more about Arianna Farms at www.ariannafarms.com.

In addition to owning a successful farm, the Woods are a wonderful example of dedicated growers. The Woods came to Kona for the first time on their honeymoon in 1993, visited the Kona Coffee Festival and fell in love with the Big Island. In the years since, they moved to Kona, had a daughter, Arianna, and began their coffee adventure on their farm in Holualoa.

I spoke with Sharon Wood following the competition and she and Bob told me that one of the most important things about being growers is being good stewards of the land. The Woods themselves have lovingly cultivated a selection of old Kona trees they have been growing organically. In addition, the Woods have received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a program they have started that reintroduces native Hawaiian plant species to Hawaii. Even on their small farm in Holualoa, the Woods have found trees and plants native to their land – Koa, Hibiscus, etc. – and have reintroduced them to the unique Kona soil.

I was delighted when Arianna Farms was awarded first prize in the Crown Competition. The Woods are an important part of Kona coffee today, and I am looking forward to working with them to produce the exclusive Arianna Farms Kona Coffee from Gevalia, scheduled to be available in spring 2008.