After months of uncertainty around the future of the country鈥檚 largest coffee grower, roughly 140 jobs at Kauai Coffee Company will be preserved through a new long-term agricultural lease.
The jobs were in danger of being terminated this spring when the coffee company鈥檚 previous lease was set to expire after nearly two years of unsuccessful negotiations between Kauai Coffee鈥檚 parent company, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, and landowner Brue Baukol Capital Partners.
鈥淲e are proud to say that our roots remain exactly where they belong, our team is entirely secure, and we are actively looking forward to bringing even more job opportunities to our local community as we grow,鈥� said Brian Kubicki, the coffee company鈥檚 general manager, in a press release Thursday.
The lease will enable Kauai Coffee to create new positions in farm technology, machinery and visitor experiences and continue its Fair Trade Community Development program, which has given $640,000 to West Side community projects.
Kauai Coffee manages 4 million coffee trees and has been operating since the late 1980s. It鈥檚 been owned by Massimo Zanetti since 2011, and BBCP, a Colorado-based investment firm, has owned the land under the farm since 2022.
In a press release, BBCP said the renewed lease underscores a shared commitment to responsibly stewarding 3,100 acres designated as Important Agricultural Lands and provides flexibility to look into whether unused portions of the property could be put into other agricultural production.
鈥淲e are excited about the future of Kauai Coffee and proud to support the continued growth of one of Hawai驶i鈥檚 most iconic agricultural brands,鈥� said James Priestley, BBCP vice president, in the release.
In January, Kauai Coffee notified state and county officials that it would permanently cease all operations and lay off 136 employees between March 14 and March 28.
The company鈥檚 uncertain future drew concerns from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, which represents about half of the company鈥檚 employees, as well as from Kaua鈥榠 County Council Chair Mel Rapozo, who asked that the company brief the council on its situation.
During a January council meeting, Wayne Katayama, a senior adviser with Kauai Coffee, said that 30% of his employees have been with the company for over 10 years. Three have been with the company for 50 years.
鈥淎ll our employees are in the communities,鈥� Katayama said at the January meeting. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e probably related to some of them, you probably are friends with some of them, you know their families, and, certainly, you鈥檝e come into contact with them through their community outreach.鈥�
Rapozo, who earlier in the year met with Kauai Coffee and BBCP in multiple meetings, said Thursday that he鈥檚 happy the two entities were able to work out an agreement because it would have been a huge loss if the coffee farm stopped operating.
鈥淭his just shows that if the goal is to benefit the community, then people can come to agreement,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were both able to do what they needed to do to make sure that the community benefited.鈥�
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