West Hawaii Explorations Academy PCS

100percent.jpg

By: Haley (6th Grade)

Did you know Kona Coffee isn't actually from Kona? Originally, Kona Coffee is from Brazil. The Brazilian missionary Samuel Reverend Ruggles first brought coffee to the Kona district in 1828. The plant had an amazing ability to adapt to the Hawaii environment so they decided to continue growing and made large plantations. Most of the original coffee workers were from Japan, who came to Hawaii for work. The word "kope" means Coffee in Hawaiian. Currently, there are about 800 coffee farms in Hawaii. So next time you take a sip of the wonderful Kona Coffee, think of how it got here!