Honolulu Coffee

Honolulu Coffee has roasted Kona coffee since 1992, and has since extended its reach up the supply chain to growing the beans itself, on a farm on the western slopes of Mauna Loa on Hawaii's Big Island. That farm-to-cup structure -- grower and roaster under one company -- lets Honolulu Coffee cover the process described on its own site as running 'from tree to cup,' with the downtown Honolulu roastery and its cafes serving as the retail end of what the farm produces.

The Pure Kona lineup grades by bean quality using the industry's standard categories: Extra Fancy, the largest and most uniform beans; Estate Selection; and Peaberry, the smaller, rounder bean that forms when a coffee cherry produces a single seed instead of two. For a lighter-intensity option, the company also sells a Kona Blend combining 25 percent estate-grown Kona with other beans.

Roasting stays small-batch and hand-done in Honolulu rather than automated at scale, and the company has extended its retail reach with a subscription coffee club and a rewards-linked mobile app, alongside cafes spread across Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.