Hanohano: `O Kona “The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawaii Belt Road”

Mina Elison will give context to historical photographs that illustrate many coffee farmers’ journey of independence from sugar plantations to small family-operated coffee farms, and how their traditions and values shaped Kona’s way of life. Gavin Miculka will bring to this presentation his knowledge of Kona’s historical coffee farms, and how Kona’s families would have lived and worked together on these sites in the early 20th century. Their lecture will be followed by presentations from a small panel of community members involved in the Kona Coffee Story, including descendants of Kona Coffee Pioneers, modern day coffee farmers and leaders of Kona’s coffee industry.

Many of these stories are reflected in the exhibit currently on display in the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum in Kealakekua, “The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawaii Belt Road.” This award-winning exhibit was featured at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, as well as in museums world-wide. Some of the cultural traditions and way of life practiced by Kona’s coffee farmers can be viewed at the historical Kona Coffee Living History Farm in Captain Cook. Voices of hard working coffee farmers and community leaders can be heard through personal accounts, historic photographs and artifacts featured in the exhibit and the farm, all of which tell the compelling story of the early days of Kona coffee. This exhibit will be on display at the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum until January, 2018 and the farm is open Mondays through Fridays from 10am to 2pm.

As the Kona Historical Society Curator, Mina Elison has refreshed and updated the original exhibit, “The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawaii Belt Road” with photos and artifacts from Kona Historical Society’s collections. She has curated several exhibits for the Society, including “Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys: Our Way of Life” and “Made in Kona,” which was displayed at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival in 2016. Gavin Miculka is the Kona Historical Society Assistant Program Director and Kona Coffee Living History Farm Museum Manager. He has developed programs that immerse patrons into the historical activities of the families who lived and worked on Kona’s coffee farms.

This is the June portion of a community lecture series held at the West Hawai`i Civic Center every last Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:00pm, that spotlights local and state speakers on a wide variety of cultural and historical subjects. Presented by Kona Historical Society, in cooperation with the County of Hawai’i, this lecture series is a gift from the Society to the community that has supported it for so long. Free of charge, it is open to all, residents and visitors alike. For more information call 808-323-3222.