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Kona coffee growers are calling for a boycott of Safeway for selling "Kona" coffee that is not in fact all, or even mostly, Kona coffee without revealing the actual percentage of Kona coffee to their customers.
http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/Safeway...lution.asp
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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I never buy Kona coffee. So I really don't care.... 100% Puna or Kau coffee is far superior to anything that the Kona coast can produce.
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Hey, I'm a tea drinker, but I still believe in truth in advertising and supporting Big Island Farmers.
If Safeway customers think they are buying Kona coffee, that is what they ought to get, not cheap South American beans with a tiny bit of Kona thrown in. A genuine Kona coffee farmer cannot compete with those cheap substitutions, and brand integrity is vital for them to survive.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Thanks for the info.
This is a reasonable thing for the Kona coffee growers to do, among other things, to bring attention to the deceptive labelling.
We do not shop at Safeway as it is (we don't need to enough to go out of our way and already know they have few local food products), and we do not buy coffee that is "some Kona" and the rest something else. We do buy Puna and Ka'u and Hamakua coffee also, as well as grow a few pounds of our own.
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Is is possible to boycott somewhere you never go?
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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quote:
Originally posted by macuu222
... 100% Puna or Kau coffee is far superior to anything that the Kona coast can produce.
I'm not a fan of Kona coffee at all! I honestly don't see what people taste in it. I've never had a Puna or Kau coffee - are these varieties readily available at my local (Hawaiian) market and I simply haven't seen them?
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COSTCO also sells KONA coffee that is not KONA coffee. Wonder why they singled out Safeway and not COSTCO?
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Most coffee bags will list the Kona coffee percent so buyers don't be lazy. My friend brought back a bag of real Kona coffee for me that was just devine but it depends on the roasting, grind, age, etc. I bought a bag from someone over in the coffee growing area near Captain Cook and it was flat and boring. If I were lucky enough to be a full time resident on the Island I would always buy local when possible from local growers and farmers markets to support the local economy and its a green way to get your food (less waste getting it to the island).
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Aren't there trademark regulations and/or truth in labeling consumer laws that would cover this situation? FWIW, a lot of coffee experts think that Kona coffee is over-rated and overpriced. My experience has been like Theodore's . . . uneven. I generally don't buy it because I don't think it's a good overall value, but I do like some of the locally produced Hilo Coffee Mill products enough to pay what they cost.
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The Hawaii law requiring listing % Hawaiian coffee & requiring a minimum of 10% Kona coffee to use the term "Kona Blend" only covers coffee sold in Hawaii, and Safeway does not sell the "Safeway Select Kona Blend" coffee in Hawaii.
The issue is that the coffee is sold around the country without the % Kona coffee. Link to KCFA press relaease:
http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/Safeway%20Boycott.asp
ETA many of the local stores do sell Kau &/or Puna coffee, and the old Safeway did have 100% Kau coffee.... have not figured out if the new store does as I get my Puna coffee delivered to the house (nice thing about living where we do... all of Puna passes us by....)
ETAII Sat 8/6 is the "Cream of the Crop" coffee competition & tasting at the Hualalai 4 Seasons Resort (free admission) with 21 Kona coffee growers.
