Whenever I'm in our Kona store, the question I get asked most is, "Why is Kona coffee so expensive!?" I'm here to explain it(to the best of my ability) to any of you that might be having that same question.
Kona Coffee is one of the only coffees that is grown commercially in the United States. It grows on the volcanic slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Sunshine in the morning, rain in the afternoon, perfect elevation and that rich volcanic soil make this, in my opinion, the perfect cup! Am I biased? Well...maybe a little. Kona coffee was the only coffee served in our house growing up.
The main reason as to why it is expensive is the cost of labor. Kona coffee is handpicked by our farmers pretty much all year. Because only the red cherry is picked, we have to pick the same tree multiple times during picking season. The beans are then separated by grade(post on grading to come). The larger the bean, the better the quality. The coffee is then dried, roasted and packed all by us, right in our Kona store.
In most countries, coffee is picked mechanically by the machine, shaking coffee trees and mixing over-ripe and under-ripe beans of all sizes which usually results in a sour cup of coffee. It costs 3 cents per pound to mechanically pick, in Kona it cost 75-85 cents per pound of handpicked coffee.
Another reason is the availability of Kona coffee. It only makes up about 1% of coffee in the whole world. That's crazy rare! The last 5 years there was a Coffee Cherry Borer infestation that devastated many Kona Coffee farms(that's a whole other post to write). It set a lot of farms back, including us. Because of the limited supply, a lot of companies do a blend of 10% Kona and 90% of random coffee beans from all over the world. But we have stuck with only serving 100%.
Now, I'm not good at math but I'm going to break this down for you so you can see just how much you're paying for a cup of Kona from us. I'll use my favorite, Private Reserve Signature. Here at KMC, we use 1 tablespoon per cup of coffee. A lot of coffee places use 2 tablespoons, but trust me, ours is strong! So if you're using 1 tbsp per 6oz Cup, you can get 32 cups of coffee from 1lb!
So at $1.40 per cup...is it really that expensive?
I would love to hear your thoughts or if you have any questions!
Thanks for reading!
Heather
Comments (22)
Send info and prices of how to purchase and ship
Can you please advise how much pesticides and chemicals you use to grow and make your coffee? I enjoy your coffee very much; however, my wife is very concerned about use of chemicals and their harmful effects.
Happily, we found you on our first trip to Kona several years ago. After the amazing tour of how the coffee is picked, dried etc., 1 cup and we were hooked! We’ve been Coffee club members ever since, happily opening up our monthly USPS box of those “worth their weight in gold” Peaberry beans.
This truly is the very BEST COFFEE we’ve ever had and wherever we go on vacation we always take a bag with us to enjoy wherever our travels take us! Thanks!
please send me info. about your coffee, prices-coffee of the month club etc.
thank you
Luv your coffee! I think you did an excellent job explaining the cost. I have some brewing right now!
Well worth it. I used to travel to Hawai’i for business at least 2 weeks per year and I always make it a point to stop by your store in Kona before I fly back to Oahu. Then I ship it back to mainland. Since I have not been back for a while, I’ll order again via phone like last time. I missed it. The Best coffee in the world.
Ok so acidity levels. Is it true that the Peabody coffee is lower in acidity because of the smaller bean and is better for people with digestive issues? Are there different coffees a person can get with lower acidity levels. 😊 thanks for your time.
Fiona Beal warman Saskatchewan Canada.
I love your coffee!! 💕
I had a medium dark roast almost daily after I discovered your store. It wasn’t until the last two weeks of our months stay that we found you ,otherwise we would have come everyday!
On the last day I agonized over bringing home a pound of the dark roast but sadly practicality won out. We were already over packed and I just couldn’t fit another thing in my luggage or carry on.
We got back home to Canada last night and this morning I was suffering Kona Coffee withdrawal.
Moral of the story….should have thrown out the souvenirs for my family to make room for coffee! :)
Aloha, Karen
This coffee is so good!!. Life is too short to drink crappy coffee! We were on the big Island in June. Right off the airplane there in Kona we went into the store and loaded up. Before we departed we loaded up again. Christmas is the right time to stock up and give some to those you love.
Great posting. Thanks for the inside scoop Heather. I am with Herbert & Daryl on this one. Look at the cost (and quality) of restaurant & other coffee establishments. Makes me love KMC even more.