Kauaʻi Coffee employees receive WARN notices from land owner with lease ending March 28

Brue Baukol Capital Partners on Monday sent Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications, known as WARN notices, to employees of the Kauaʻi Coffee Co., which is operated by global coffee company Massino Zanetti Beverage USA.

WARN notices provide protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs.

The lease is set to end March 28 between Brue Baukol, a Colorado-based investment firm that owns the thousands of acres used by Kauaʻi Coffee Co., and Massino Zanetti Beverage USA.

James Priestley, vice president of Brue Baukol Capital Partners, said in a statement the company remains in active lease negotiations but emphasized that any potential management changes would not automatically result in job losses.

“Should there be a need for change in management, it is our intention to retain all Kauaʻi Coffee employees who wish to continue working with us,” Priestley said.

The notice follows Kauaʻi Coffeeʻs senior advisor Wayne Katayama’s Jan. 7 address to the Kauaʻi County Council.

Katayama said at the council meeting that “all of our 141 employees will be receiving notices that their jobs will be terminated in the next few weeks…”

On Monday, Katayama said he “was not part of the WARN process and has no firsthand knowledge of what was communicated” to his employees.

Brue Baukol Capital Partners said in its statement Monday that the company’s focus is on preserving and evolving Kauaʻi Coffee’s legacy, including its operations, products and customer experiences. Priestley added that Brue Baukol Capital Partners is committed to maintaining benefits the company provides to employees, the local community and the broader local economy.

“We look forward to maintaining and evolving Kauai Coffee’s operations, products, and the experiences of both employees and customers,” Priestley said.

Kauaʻi Coffee Co., one of the island’s largest agricultural employers and a major visitor attraction, has operated since the late 1980s, when then land owner Alexander & Baldwin switched from growing sugar to coffee.

In June 2022, Brue Baukol Capital Partners bought 18,000 acres from A&B, which included about 3,700 acres used by the coffee farm. Priestley previously said those 3,700 acres are designated as “Important Agricultural Lands” and will continue to be used for agricultural purposes.

Massino Zanetti Beverage USA, which also owns Maxwell House and Hills Bros., has operated Kauaʻi Coffee Co. since 2011.