Making an Impact: Sustainable, Fair Trade Coffee From Kauai

Kauai Coffee is triple certified by leading Social, Sustainability, and Environmental Advocates. There's more to Kauai Coffee than meets the eye. As the largest coffee farm in the United States, you might think our farm and four million coffee trees are just like any others. Sure, our trees have green leaves and sweetly-scented blossoms that give way to brightly colored coffee cherries and delicious beans. But now, our island-grown coffee also offers something truly unique. 100% Kauai Coffee has earned the unique distinction of being triple certified by leading sustainability advocates. When you drink 100% Kauai Coffee, you're choosing coffee that is not only fair trade coffee, but also better for people, plants, and our planet. We're proud to receive recognition from these certifying organizations and display our commitment to environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices.

Triple Certifications

We are proud to have our commitment to sustainable coffee farming recognized by these leading organizations. Working together to earn certification has helped Kauai Coffee move forward and take action on our long-term sustainability goals.

• Non-GMO Project Verified: Non-GMO Project verification has been the market's trusted seal for GMO avoidance for more than ten years. At Kauai Coffee, we harvest many unique coffee varietals on our 3,100 acre Kauai Farm; each plant is as authentic as nature intended.
• Rain Forest Alliance Certified: The Rainforest Alliance certified seal stands for efficient farm management that reduces soil erosion, water use, pollution, and waste while also protecting wildlife and reducing threats to the environment and human health. We preserve our island's natural beauty and biodiversity by practicing sustainable farming methods such as on-site composting, cover crop usage, and water conservation.
• Fair Trade Certified: Goods that are Fair Trade Certified provide safe working conditions and sustainable livelihoods while protecting the environment and giving back to the communities where coffee is cultivated. At Kauai Coffee, 'ohana (family) is at the center of everything we do. We respect our associates by providing fair wages, health care, retirement savings plans, and a safe working environment.

"It takes a lot more planning and people to operate sustainably, but it is better for everyone," said Jon Ching, Kauai Coffee Orchard Manager. "The learning curve is big, but it is really exciting," he continued.

Orchard Sustainability

Our commitment to sustainability isn't just a package label or promise. We're taking action. Here's how:

• Kauai Coffee complies with all EPA regulations, including the Clean Water & Clean Air laws.
• We protect native forests and plants in our estate's valleys and ravines by mitigating erosion and runoff with natural solutions like contoured hedgerows and diversions.
• We're proud to be the largest drip irrigation coffee estate in the world, with more than 2,500 miles of drip tubing. This efficient system applies water and fertilizers directly to the tree roots, so we do not have to spray or dust fertilizer on our coffee farm.
• To conserve water during the harvest, we divert water from the drip irrigation system to the processing plant where it is used to clean and remove the coffee fruit from the bean. Because we only use our water in processing, it is filtered and then reapplied to the coffee fields.
• Every year nearly 4 million pounds of coffee cherry pulp and mulch is composted and put back into the land as a soil nutrient. With these practices, we have the potential to cut herbicide use by 75% across our farm.

"Sustainability is sometimes a word that gets overused, but as stewards of the land and our natural resources, we feel a critical responsibility to care for our soil, water, and team in a way that makes our coffee better and community stronger," said Kauai Coffee General Manager Fred Cowell.

Growing coffee you can feel great about sharing with your 'ohana is our passion. Triple certification and orchard sustainability are just the beginning for Kauai Coffee. We will continue to work towards our sustainability goals, create healthier soils, further reduce synthetic fertilizer and herbicide use, mitigate irrigation requirements, and produce the best Hawaiian-grown coffee available. Taste the difference today. Shop for 100% Kauai Coffee online.