[adsense] You may remember our article from a few weeks ago discussing the big problem Hawaiian coffee growers are having with the tiny little pest - the coffee borer. Well, the borer has become such a big problem for farmers that the Hawaii Coffee Association just sent a letter to President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack asking for help from the U.S. … [Read more...]
Coffee Farms Getting Fined in Hawaii Due to Violating Labor Laws
[adsense] Seven coffee farms in Hawaii are being fined in a big way by the U.S. Department of Labor for violating labor laws - about $42,000. The fine has come in lieu of the Department discovering that those who were hand harvesting or processing the coffee cherries were not being paid legally required wages. This included paying workers below minimum wage and also … [Read more...]
More coffee problems…
[adsense] While Central America is battling the leaf rust problem, Hawaii is not without their own coffee issues. Hawaii produces around $30 million a year in revenue off their Kona coffee industry, however the coffee berry borer is hindering this currently. "This could kill the industry an industry that's taken 100 years to build up could be gone in 5 or 10 years … [Read more...]
Hawaiian Tourism Thriving Thanks to Kona Coffee
[adsense] All up and down the Mamalahoa Highway you'll see vast fields and rows of coffee trees - the coveted Kona coffee, to be precise. The coffee is a mainstay of the local economy, with it often even being bartered with between farmers and local shops like money. Farmers give tours, often free, of their coffee farms - some doing upwards of 300 visitors a … [Read more...]