Our Hawaii coffee farm history
Aloha! We’re Lisa and Jimmy Dacalio, owners of Original Ka’u Coffee Farms. We’ve been working our Hawaii coffee farm together with family, friends and employees for the past 20 years.
Prior to his life as a coffee farmer, Jimmy worked at a sugar plantation. Ironically, the end of the sugar industry in Hawaii marked the beginning of our coffee career. Through the RHETA grant program, championed by the late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, Jimmy and other displaced workers received seed money to buy or lease land and obtain equipment and supplies to start their own businesses. We leased 5 acres, which became our original Hawaii coffee farm: Moa’ula.
Today, we operate two Hawaii coffee farms: Moa’ula and John Bull. Jimmy is the lead farmer, while Lisa manages the business. Lisa is also an artist and visitors to the farm will see her artwork, including gourds that she has dried and painted. The coffee labels also feature her original artwork.
We’ve dedicated our lives to producing consistently high-quality, delicious Ka’u coffee, and we are glad to be able to share it with coffee lovers all over the world.
Sincerely,
Prior to his life as a coffee farmer, Jimmy worked at a sugar plantation. Ironically, the end of the sugar industry in Hawaii marked the beginning of our coffee career. Through the RHETA grant program, championed by the late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, Jimmy and other displaced workers received seed money to buy or lease land and obtain equipment and supplies to start their own businesses. We leased 5 acres, which became our original Hawaii coffee farm: Moa’ula.
Today, we operate two Hawaii coffee farms: Moa’ula and John Bull. Jimmy is the lead farmer, while Lisa manages the business. Lisa is also an artist and visitors to the farm will see her artwork, including gourds that she has dried and painted. The coffee labels also feature her original artwork.
We’ve dedicated our lives to producing consistently high-quality, delicious Ka’u coffee, and we are glad to be able to share it with coffee lovers all over the world.
Sincerely,
Jimmy & Lisa Dacalio
Our farms
All of the beans you’ll find in a bag of our coffee comes from one of our two Hawaii coffee farms:
- Moa’ula, our original farm. This 5-acre farm is located above the town of Pahala, in an area called Cloud Rest, named for the heavy blankets of mist that often rest on the lush, green hillsides.
- John Bull, named for an old Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) who was very well-known in the area. This 1.7-acre, solar-powered farm is located 19 miles from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Also the site of our home and shop, John Bull offers visitors beautiful ocean views, wild roaming peacocks, and the chance to wander around a real working Hawaii coffee farm. If we’re around, stop in to talk story!
"In other words ...
“Still enjoying the coffee buzz we get from your brew.”
- JOAN California |
“This is a Mother’s Day gift for my mom who visited your farm and said your coffee is the best she’s ever tasted!”
- SARA Colorado |
