Kona Joe Coffee Overview and History Founded by Joe Alban in 1994, Kona Joe Coffee adapted traditional viticulture growing techniques, practiced by his award-winning family vineyards, Alban Vineyards in Edna Valley, California. The process to train a coffee tree to grow like wine grapes was not an easy feat. However, despite the extra costs involved as well as, intensive labor, this effort won Kona Joe the SCAA Blue Ribbon award for “Best Roasted Coffee.” SCAA is short for Specialty Coffee Association of America which represent thousands of coffee professionals, producers and baristas globally. Coupled with their unique trellised technique, rather than merely using the human eye to observe the optimum time to harvest his coffee cherries, Joe and his scientific team monitor the PH levels, titratable acid and concentration of sugar in his coffee cherries. This ensures the proper balance of acid and dissolved sugars before hand picking them at the ideal maturity. Kona Joe Coffee Tours Self-Guided Tour – FreeNo reservations are required for the free, self-guided tour which includes an 8-minute video followed by an ‘at your own pace’ stroll through the property. Comprehensive Guided Tour – $12/personWith a coffee engineer as your guide, the 35-minute, comprehensive Guided Tour is $12 per person and allows coffee buffs a tour through the farm and facility with coffee in an etched Kona Coffee mug topped off with chocolate tasting. VIP Tour – $85/personIf you want some fresh roasted coffee to take home, go for the VIP Tour. This 1 hour in-depth guided farm and facility tour includes 1 pound of Kona Joe signature blend, 8 oz. dark jammers chocolate and a souvenir etched coffee mug filled with 100% Kona coffee for $85 per person, minimum 2 people. Ultimate Tour – $225/personFor $225 per person, the Ultimate Tour, is a two-hour, interactive java jamboree and includes the perks of the Comprehensive Tour yet complemented by 5 pounds of 100% Kona coffee with the Kona Joe roast master. *Tour Times, Descriptions and Pricing were current when posted but are subject to change. Kona Joe Coffee Location79-7346 Mamalahoa HwyKealakekua, HI 96750 HoursOpen Daily 8:00am-5:00pmRSVP Required for VIP, Ultimate, and Comprehensive Tours Contact(808) 322-2100Website
