HILO — How much Kona coffee should be in Kona coffee?
The answer is not as simple as it appears, but a bill introduced to the state Senate last week is seeking to change that.
The bill, introduced by Russell Ruderman (D- Puna) and co-sponsored by Oahu Sens. Willie Espero and Maile Shimabukuro, would require coffee produced in Hawaii and labeled as a geographic blend — for example, Kona, Ka‘u or Hamakua — to have at least 51 percent of its beans come from that region.
Under the current standards, only 10 percent of a coffee blend must be from a given region in order to be labeled as such.
“If it’s only 10 percent, it’s not Hawaii coffee,” Ruderman said. “It’s deceptive labeling.”
The Senate bill also would require that all geographic regions used in the blend be listed in descending order.
“It’s simply requiring honest labeling, like every other product you see,” Ruderman said. “The ingredients are listed in order. Coffee doesn’t follow that rule.”
“These labels, at the top, say Royal Kona and Kona this and Kona that, and down in the small print, pursuant to state law, they put ‘10 percent Kona blend,’” said Bruce Corker, president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, which counts 278 local farmers as members. “Most tourists, as with most of us who are consumers, never get beyond the print at the top, (and) they are disappointed, and it damages the reputation of the crop.”
The labeling issue centers on Kona blends and has been a source of contention for decades: attempts to create a standard began in the mid-1980s. In 1986, a proposed bill requiring the 10 percent minimum was vetoed by then-Gov. George Ariyoshi. Five years later, the current standards were approved.
Since then, multiple bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to address the 10 percent regulation. A bill introduced last year in the House did not receive a hearing and was carried over to the current session.
A Hawaii County Council resolution adopted in 2014 seeking state legislation for “truth-in-labeling” for Hawaii-grown coffees notes that blend labeling bills typically have been opposed by large Honolulu-based blenders. Most coffee growers in the state are based on the Big Island.
The county resolution was introduced by former Councilwoman Brenda Ford and passed unanimously.
“We did have a lot of concern coming from the coffee farmers,” current council chair Dru Kanuha said.
He said the resolution was a “way to support the bills that were going through the state at the time … every year it comes up.”
Ruderman said this is the third time he has introduced legislation on the matter, and that it was part of a larger effort to support local agriculture and farmers.
“We need to fix the fact that we don’t protect our brand,” he said. “You don’t see Idaho potatoes that aren’t from Idaho … we are an outlier.”
“Hawaii is the only state in the country and the only region anywhere in the world that lets marketers use the name of a heritage crop like Kona coffee with as little as 10 percent,” Corker said. “It’s a disgrace.”
“Our preference would be that it ought to be like champagne,” he said. “The Kona name should only be used for 100 percent, but the minimum reasonable amount is 51 percent.”
Tom Greenwell, president of Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua, was outspoken about the blends when legislation was first approved in 1991, calling the 10 percent standard “false advertising.” But now, he said, he is more concerned about the quality of coffee consisting exclusively of Kona beans.
“To me, that’s probably the biggest issue out there today,” Greenwell said. “That’s where I’m concentrating, is keeping the quality of our 100 percent Kona high. I really believe that the blend is not a big factor on my sales of 100 percent Kona.
“The biggest problem is there’s a lot of 100 percent Kona out there that’s terrible. I think that on average, the farmers that produce cherry and sell coffee to processors really don’t care about the blend. They care about selling their product, and they need the best price they can get.”
Greenwell said that coffee prices are up this year thanks to the increasing cost of farming, due in no small part to the negative impact of the coffee borer beetle.
“It’ll probably stay up, but, you know, even at $40 a pound, it’s still less than a dollar a pound for a cup of coffee,” he said. “If you enjoy coffee, it’s still one of the most affordable beverages out there.”
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.