Ancient Hawaiian Folklore and Coffee Practices
Hawaiian culture believes that the land itself is infused with spiritual energy called "mana" and that anything that arises from the land carries this energy. There is a special area of the leeward side of the Big Island called Holualoa. Coffee has grown in abundance here for many generations. Farms in this small area of land are the only place on earth that grows coffee that can actually be called "Kona Coffee".
On the Kona of the Big Island, the moisture from the sea rolls up the mountain in the morning, and then the weather almost predictably turns to afternoon mist from the heavens above. Above Kona, on the mountain of Hualalai, in the historic coffee belt of Holualoa, the volcanic soil, Hawaiian sunshine, and daily moisture create the perfect climate to grow coffee. The "mana" is plentiful. Kona offers a marvelous formula for the cultivation of coffee in the prosperous fertility of the rich soil.
There is strength in the heritage of the Hawaiian people who once worked
these coffee fields. The area of Kona going south to Kealakeakua Bay once
had more then 40 heiau (sacred temples) along this mountainside. This is where
Captain Cook first discovered Hawaii and is where Kamehameha retired. The
Hawaiian culture is ancient and spiritual, and growing Kona coffee is a rich
part of that tradition.
