The Hawaii Coffee Association (HCA) held its 27th annual conference from May 19-21 at Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa in Kona, featuring the winners of HCA’s 13th annual Statewide Coffee Cupping Competition as well as the inaugural Café Collective SigBev Competition, and a lineup of speakers that shared HCA’s latest progress on combating Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR).
According to an HCA news release, the organization has benefitted from the assistance of a range of agencies, state and national legislators, global partners and industry backers in its nearly two-year battle against coffee lead rust (CLR). Moreover HCA Executive Director Chris Mandredi said in a press release that the group also has been able to speed up the permitting of a pair of trans-lamimar fungicides in an effort to assist growers in tackling the disease for now.
“We also have identified rust-resistant coffee varieties already being propagated in Hawaii,” Mandredi said in the news release. “We hope to make these varieties available to growers as quickly as possible and identify, source and import other CLR-resistant varietals from overseas.”
According to the HCA news release, the organization’s partnership with Oritain to enhance product traceability was highlighted. The release noted that the global company is pulling together an "Origin Fingerprint" to ensure the origin of the coffee harvested in the state to stop counterfeiting, strengthen brand identity and marketability.
“We will work with Oritain in the coming weeks and months to develop and implement a sampling plan with the goal of establishing 'Origin Fingerprints' for Hawaii’s coffee growing regions,” Manfredi said in the HCA news release. “We can then scientifically verify the origin of green and roasted coffee grown in K‘au, Kona, Maui, etc.”
The HCA program, according to the news release, also featured a field grafting workshop geared toward ensuring growers can implement varietal replacement. The news release also said World Coffee Research’s Jennifer “Vern” Long delivered a keynote speech, and a speed-to-brew roundtable was presented.
During the event, the HCA elected its new officers and board of directors, according to the news release.