News

Greenwell Farms has been steadily improving its growing and processing techniques in its quest for the highest quality coffee possible. A big part of this quality program is the cupping program headed up by Chai Neo. Chai has recently received CQI certification of Q-Grader. CQI is Coffee Quality Institute and it is an international nonprofit organization working internationally to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it. CQI developed the Q Coffee System to reinforce and uphold the standards of specialty coffee as defined Read More…

In this short educational video, Tom Greenwell discusses ways of pruning Kona coffee, including both the traditional method, as well as the more “innovative” style of pruning used at Greenwell Farms. This latter style, The Beaumont-Fukunaga system, was developed in the 1950s, however, it was rejected by most farmers in Kona at that time. Greenwell Farms has utilized the Beaumont-Fukunaga method almost exclusively since the farm’s inception. What is Coffee Pruning? Coffee pruning is a method of trimming coffee plants. It can be done annually to promote fruit production, maintain Read More…

In the 1990s, Greenwell Farms almost ceased to exist. With the farm literally dying in front of their eyes, the Greenwell Family didn’t give up. By reaching out to innovators and utilizing new farming practices, they managed to find a solution to the nematode that was attacking the roots of their plants. This devastating time proved to be a turning point for the company, and today, Greenwell Farms is a model of forward-thinking in the coffee industry. Greenwell Farms is a coffee farming and processing company in the heart of Read More…

In this short educational video, Tom Greenwell narrates as employee Riley demonstrates the specific steps involved in grafting coffee, as practiced at Greenwell Farms. He also describes the reasons they graft coffee and how the use of it can help to combat nematodes in the soil. Greenwell Farms is a coffee farming and processing company in the heart of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Their primary goal is to provide coffee lovers around the world a unique coffee experience. They asked Mahi’ai Creative and Gum Design to produce Read More…

Greenwell Farms is creating a signature series of coffee, using hybrids and varietals, developed on the farm and with the scientists they’ve worked with for the last 15 years. Tom Greenwell describes how they plant “experiment” fields at three different elevations on the farm, to find and grow the best coffee possible, and he introduces the first of the signature series, the “Jenny K,” named after his wife.

It’s exciting to know that Greenwell Farms family ties to Kona’s history continues through the centennial celebration of the Kona Coffee Living History Farm. Read The Full Article Here The seven-acre farm tells the story of Kona coffee pioneers. Interpreters in costumes demonstrate life on the farm from 1920 to 1935, West Hawaii Today reported. The farm was started by a Japanese immigrant, Daisaku Uchida, said Kuulani Auld, program director for the Kona Historical Society. In 1913, he leased land for the coffee farm in South Kona from E.C. Greenwell Read More…

Jeni K – Greenwell Farms Signature Series Jeni K is the premiere roast of the Greenwell Farms Signature Series, created in honor of the Greenwell family heritage. Grown on the Greenwell family-owned Konawaena Estate, Jeni K 100% Kona Coffee is carefully selected from the highest quality trees in perfect climate conditions. This coffee offers a unique taste experience with notes of passion fruit, giving it a natural tropical fruit sweetness. The well- structured body is sparkling clean and finishes with a hint of vanilla and chocolate. Due to unique locations Read More…

Last Saturday, hundreds of people attended the Cream of the Crop coffee and dessert tasting competition at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and had the opportunity to sample Kona coffee and vote for their favorites. Greenwell Farms, featuring its 2013 release of Onouli, captured the People’s Choice win in the open division. Onouli, a premium estate coffee farm, is owned by the extended Greenwell Family and managed by Greenwell Farms. “I’m very happy that our premium estate coffee placed first at this prestigious event. We attribute this win to our Read More…

  Greenwell Farms is extremely proud to announce Chai Neo’s recent completion of the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) Q-Grader training and her successful qualification as a licensed Q-Grader. Chai has been working at Greenwell Farms since April of 2009 in the Retail Department and in the Roasting Room.  She has been cupping coffee here at Greenwell Farms for several years utilizing her natural talent for describing flavors and detecting nuances in coffees. The Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) is a nonprofit organization working internationally to improve the quality of coffee and Read More…

The Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce presented its prestigious Visitor Industry Marketing Award to Greenwell Farms at the Chamber’s Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon on Friday, June 28. The Kona Kohala Chamber’s Visitor Industry Marketing Award recognized Greenwell Farms for its commitment to ag tourism that engages visitors with an authentic Kona coffee farm experience and its multi-faceted ag tourism marketing campaign overseen by fourth-generation farmers Tom and Jennifer Greenwell. Since 1979, the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce has recognized West Hawaii visitor industry leaders for their promotional efforts of Read More…

Today, Greenwell Farms is situated in the heart of the Kona Coffee growing region (see map) adjacent to the ancestral home of Henry and Elizabeth, which is now occupied by the Kona Historical Society and Museum. Managed by the descendants of Henry and Elizabeth, Greenwell Farms has evolved into a multi-faceted Agribusiness: The farming operation is located on the same farmland once cultivated by the Greenwell Family in the 1800s. Today Greenwell Farms employs modern farming practices to ensure consistent supply and the highest quality possible. In addition to farming, Read More…

The Greenwell Farms legacy began in 1850 when Henry Nicholas Greenwell left England and first set foot on the fertile soil of rural Kona. Together with his wife, Elizabeth Caroline, Henry spent the next forty years farming, ranching, and perfecting his Kona Coffee soon exporting it to Europe and the Americas. In 1873, the President of the Kaiser’s Exposition awarded the Greenwells a “Recognition Diploma” for their Kona Coffee at the World’s Fair in Vienna, Austria.

It takes 1.25 pounds of green beans to make one pound of roasted coffee. Coffee roasting and packaging are essential processes that determine the final flavor, aroma, and quality of the coffee you enjoy. These steps are a blend of science and art, requiring careful attention to detail and expertise. Roasting and packaging are the two most important processes that determine the flavor, aroma and quality of the coffee you drink. These are a combination of science and art and require attention to detail and expertise. Coffee Roasting: Turning Green Read More…

It takes 1.25 pounds of dried parchment to produce one pound of green bean coffee. Coffee processing is a long journey and one of the key steps in that journey is the removal of the coffee parchment, a thin layer that surrounds the coffee bean. This step is often referred to as “hulling” and is critical in preparing the beans for roasting. The Parchment in Coffee Processing After the coffee cherries are picked they are pulped to remove the outer skin and some of the fruit flesh leaving the beans Read More…

Orchard Establishment – A coffee orchard requires three to four years of maintenance before a significant crop can be harvested. Growing Cycle – Coffee trees typically bloom in the late winter to early spring. Harvesting occurs in the fall through late winter. Mature coffee beans form into clusters of red berries, referred to as a coffee cherry. Harvesting is done by hand. A coffee picker can pick between 200 and 400 pounds of coffee cherry per day. The work is very hard and demanding.