Kauai Coffee Land, Lease
& Operation Update

When are you closing?

Our lease ends on March 28, but at this time we do not have a closing date. Our goal remains to maintain the lease and continue operating Kauai Coffee Company.
  

When is your last day?

We will continue normal business operations until further notice. Lease negotiations are still in progress.


Tell me the real information -- what’s going on?

We continue to be invested in the long-term success of Kauai Coffee, caring for the land, our employees, and serving our community. That continues to guide every decision we make, including our ongoing lease negotiations.


Why can’t you negotiate? What’s taking so long?

We are and have been actively engaged in ongoing discussions with the landowner for some time.  If this was a continuation of our current lease, we would have signed the lease a long time ago. Negotiations take time, and we are urgently working toward an outcome that is in the best interests of Kauai Coffee Company, our employees, the land, and the community.


Why would they close this place?  It looks like you make a lot of money.

It’s true that Kauai Coffee has been very successful. Since integrating Kauai Coffee into Massimo Zanetti’s portfolio in 2011, we’ve achieved 209% revenue growth, projected to reach $24.9 million in 2025. Yet, all landlords must decide how they want their property used, what their business model and areas of expertise are, and how or if current lessees fit into those plans.  As the lessee, Kauai Coffee cannot answer why our landlord would not want us on the land.  We can only speak to our stalwart commitment to operating Kauai Coffee.


What can I do to help?

The support of the community has been overwhelming – thank you! You can continue to keep visiting Kauai Coffee, enjoy and share our coffee, publicly state support for our employees and the company, and directly ask the landowner about their long-term plans for the property. A website was recently created by the landowner as a platform to share their information.  An email address to contact the landowner is provided on that site.

Have you asked the Mayor, Governor, and other leaders for help?

Yes. Kauai Coffee has longstanding, strong relationships with the Mayor, the County Council, and other community leaders, and has been deeply involved in the Kauai community for decades. We continue to stay in close communication with government and other Kauai leaders yet also understand that there are limits to how they can impact any lease negotiation.  Again, the landowner has the right to want or not want Kauai Coffee on their land.

I heard the landowner is going to put in condos, hotels, golf course, or
luxury housing.  Why would they do that?

We do not know the landowner’s goals for the land. Any development plans they have would have to be shared by them.

I heard everything is fine, all settled, and you will keep your jobs. Is this true?

Employees will always receive information relating to our company and their jobs directly from Kauai Coffee Company.  We have frequent meetings and ways for employees to receive information and to share their questions and concerns.

Why doesn’t your company own the land?

Although the Kauai Coffee estate has been in business since 1987, our company only has operated the Company since 2011 when we leased the land from its founder and assumed its operations.  We have never owned the land and remain a tenant of the land’s current owner.

Isn’t this Kuleana land anyway? Doesn’t it belong to the monarchy?

Land ownership in Hawaii and on Kauai is complex and varies by parcel. The land we operate on is privately owned by the current landowner under a legally recognized title. Questions about the history of the land would need to be directed to the landowner or county.

The landlord has said things publicly that don’t sound consistent with what Kauai Coffee is saying. What are the facts?

Many have seen other narratives, information, or stories in the news. Please know that if the information is not directly communicated from Kauai Coffee, it may not be accurate. We have contacted the landowner regarding statements attributed to them that we have considered to be inaccurate, and the landowner has stopped making those and removed them from their website and media comments. If you see any public information that does not seem accurate or true, please let us know so that we can set the record straight.

If Kauai Coffee Company, LLC is unable to operate the Kauai Coffee business on this land, will another company take over Kauai Coffee?

The best way to get an answer to that question is to present it directly to BBCP, since BBCP owns the land on which we operate.  BBCP has announced publicly on several occasions over the last few weeks, though, that if Kauai Coffee Company, LLC no longer is operating the Kauai Coffee business on this land, it intends to take over and continue operation of the farm.