Kauaʻi Coffee marks new chapter with celebration following resolution of lease dispute

Kauaʻi Coffee after 2 years that nearly ended with a farewell will mark its next chapter with a much happier way: inviting the people who helped keep it brewing to come raise a cup.

Kauaʻi Coffee will host a community celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 15 at its visitor center for an afternoon of music, food, farm tours, family activities — and plenty of coffee.

The gathering comes less than 2 months after Kauaʻi Coffee and landowner Brue Baukol Capital Partners reached a 15-year lease agreement, ending a long-running dispute that threatened the future of one of Kauaʻi’s largest agricultural employers.

For a while, the outlook was decidedly less festive.

Lease negotiations dragged on nearly 2 years, and as the previous agreement approached its March expiration, Kauaʻi Coffee issued worker adjustment and retraining notification notices to employees.

The possibility of losing the operation sent concern rippling through the West Kauaʻi community and the United States.

Both sides were finally able to reach a deal June 25.

The new agreement keeps Kauaʻi Coffee operating on roughly 3,100 acres and preserves the company’s local workforce of about 126. Kauaʻi Coffee senior adviser Wayne Katayama said plans also include hiring another 30 to 40 workers as agricultural operations return to normal.

Kauaʻi Coffee is now handing out free cups instead of goodbye cups.

The Aug. 15 event is billed as a celebration of gratitude and aloha, with a blessing ceremony led by Puni and Troy Waialeale kicking things off at 10 a.m.

Live entertainment will include Hi‘ipoi, West Kauaʻi heritage performers and taiko drummers.

There also will be food, drinks, shopping specials, free coffee giveaways and activities aimed at keeping younger visitors busy, including bounce houses. Farm tour rides will give guests a chance to see the sprawling coffee estate beyond the visitor center.

The event gives Kauaʻi Coffee a chance to celebrate something bigger than a lease.

Kauaʻi Coffee is an important agricultural operation and visitor attraction on the island, managing millions of coffee trees and producing between 1 million and 2 million pounds of green coffee annually.

The lease agreement followed a wave of community support during negotiations.

Katayama credited elected officials, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, residents and customers with helping push talks toward a resolution.

Katayama at a July briefing before the county council offered a mahalo on behalf of the company’s employees and their families.

Landowner Brue Baukol also acknowledged the community’s role.

Kauaʻi Coffee Vice President James Priestley said the agreement recognized the firm’s importance not only as a business but as an employer, agricultural institution and part of the island’s identity.

The new lease also provides some breathing room for the farm to look ahead.

During the uncertainty earlier this year, Kauaʻi Coffee paused hiring and scaled back some routine agricultural work.

The company added that its 2025 harvest was among its strongest, while this year’s crop suffered setbacks from disrupted farming schedules after Kauaʻi Coffee paused hiring and scaled back some routine agricultural work; however, the 2026 crop showed promising fruit development.