The Story of Coffee

The First Maui Coffee

When Pioneer Mill diversified its sugar crop in 1988, it began field trials to test many coffee varieties under West Maui growing conditions. Four produced superior results: Red Catuai, Yellow Caturra, Typica and Mokka. The first recognized Maui coffee farm was born.

Today, there are hundreds of acres of mature trees in Kā‘anapali. Saplings were grown in an on-site nursery from Kā‘anapali coffee seeds, and planted in hedgerows with sudax, a tall grass that acts as a temporary windbreak until the trees are full-size.

The Art & Science of Coffee Cultivation

Coffee farming requires a great deal of patience and a very nurturing nature. Trees need at least three or four years of constant care before their first “coffee cherries” are ready to be picked. Harvesting begins in September of each year and continues through February. Mechanized processors remove the “cherries” which must then be pulped, washed, and carefully dried. The dried green coffee beans are aged in their parchment-like skin until they are milled, bagged and shipped all over the world.