SMITH FARMS, INC.
CRAWFORDVILLE, FLORIDA

Fence up and working! Neighbor’s to the left and we are pig-proof! As the ranch guys were building the fence in the middle of the day here, they could hear noisy pigs fighting to the left and told Bob he ought to get a few. No thanks! March 24th, 2014 was Bob’s 69th Birthday and he was intrigued by doing a “selfie” so we did.It was his birthday after all. At last count, there were fewer than 600 farms growing coffee in the Kona Districts. While there are several farms over 65 acres each, the majority are much smaller and average about 5 acres. Only these farms produce Kona coffee. Coffee that is grown on other parts of the island or on other islands within the Hawaiian Chain may not call their product Kona coffee. Kona Coffee, a Coffea arabica -var. typica, is generally acknowledged as one of the two most highly valued coffees in the world and it was brought, in 1829, to Hawaii island by missionary and teacher Samuel Ruggles. Some current farmers are former university agriculture graduates who worked for large agribusinesses and found there was too much politics and not enough agriculture in what they were doing. Many more recent farmers wanted a simpler life. There are also continuing multi-generational families of Japanese, Filipinos, Portuguese, Hawaiians and Caucasians, who continue to enjoy the family farm life as a Kona coffee farmer. Work continues on the coffee farm during the non-harvest season as well. From March through September, the Kona coffee farmer carefully cultivates his crop. Pruning off the older, less productive branches in the spring, allows the new shoots to begin their growth cycle. The farmer must also fertilize his many hundreds of coffee trees. Three other very important jobs happen during this period. The farmer must visually anticipate and carefully select the most promising shoots from each coffee tree for the next few year’s production. This is quite a science and can make the difference in crop production. The new growth of early summer needs to be pared down to produce future efficient yields. Rats need to be actively discouraged from eating the sweet mature beans. Weed control in the lush and fertile summer fields needs to be constantly managed. Simply said, a well-cultivated coffee tree has a far greater yield than a wild one. Despite the year round labor, Kona coffee farmers love what they do and feel privileged to be able to work outdoors in the extremely pleasant subtropical Kona climate cultivating a product that is famous among coffee drinking societies through out the world. The entire Districts of North and South Kona remain beautiful in no small part because of the lush green slopes covered in old growth coffee- some farms made up of trees over 100 years old. NO REPRODUCTION OF THIS WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR We are sustainable farmers who do not use any insecticides. We are meeting our needs while considering the needs of future generations that will farm this same land. Bob and I, Cea, live on the farm in our house and are the growers, pickers, and packers, selling our entire crop directly to people who enjoy our unique products. We hand farm our land, using no machinery, continuing the ancient tradition of hand farming by Hawaiians who grew