Coffee distributors may be prohibited from using Hawaii’s name in vain under laws proposed by the Hawaii County Council to amend coffee labeling requirements.
A resolution presented to the County Council Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations and Economic Development on Tuesday urges the state legislature to pursue new laws that would require coffee blends to be at least 51% Hawaii-grown in order to use Hawaii geographic names on their labels.
Currently, state law allows coffee distributors to use Hawaii geographic names such as Kona, Ka’u and Hamakua on Hawaii-grown coffee products that include as little as 10% of coffee from that given region.
“There are a lot of companies making money off the name ‘Kona,’” Kona councilwoman Rebecca Villegas said. “So it seems as though we’re undervaluing our product.”
According to the resolution, the current labeling laws caused Kona coffee farmers to lose $14.4 million in revenue per year as of 2010. Labeling a coffee blend as Hawaii-grown despite being composed of up to 90% non-Hawaii-grown coffee, the resolution argues, is deceptive to consumers and “often results in a product of lesser quality.”
Villegas added that coffee producers bringing out-of-state coffee to Hawaii have opened the state’s coffee industry to the coffee berry beetle, an invasive pest that can devastate coffee crops and was first discovered to have spread to Kona in 2010.
Council members were supportive of the resolution, saying it would improve the reputation of the island’s coffee industry.
Hilo councilman Aaron Chung said other places around the world jealously guard the use of their own names, resulting in prestigious products whose names command respect: Chianti wines can only be produced in the Chianti region of Tuscany in Italy, while Champagne is only Champagne if it’s produced in the Champagne region of France, and is otherwise just sparkling wine.
On the other hand, Kona councilwoman Maile David felt it didn’t go far enough.
“As far as I’m concerned, if it’s not 100% from Kona, then it’s not Kona coffee,” David said. “Hopefully in my lifetime we can get back to some kind of truth in advertising.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
