Farm Profile

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Farm Owners: James McCully, Ruslan & Alla Kuznetsov

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Acreage: 70 acres

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Coffee Varietals: Red Catuai, Lempira, Parainema, Tabi

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Processing Methods: Washed, Natural, Honey, Yeast Inoculated

How did you become a coffee farmer?

We got our inspiration from other farmers.

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Years in coffee:

8 years

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About the farm owners and the farm:

James McCully has been farming on the Big Island since 1976. Starting off as a dirt farmer growing market vegetables in Puna he then evolved into a greenhouse grower exporting high value produce to Canada and the US mainland in the ʻ80ʻs. McCully then developed an interest in export floriculture and soon began growing orchids as a specialist producer. 

 

Kau Coffee has become his newest interest based on itʻs fundamentals; unique characteristics from being produced in Kau (Hawaii) that lead to a world class product. Kau coffee is valued both by the consumer as a great cup of coffee and by the market as a specialty coffee that earns and deserves itʻs premium valuation.

 

Rus and Alla were born and raised in different republics of USSR and moved to the states Rus in 1996 and Alla in 1999. Their families settled in the heart of the Washington wine country, the town of Walla Walla, and this is where they met. Rus has been teaching music for many years and Alla's background is in wine.

 

They moved to Hawaii in 2011 and after four years of life on the islands, they set off on a three-year tour around the 50 states, writing a blog about their travels. While spending the last year of their tour in Alaska, Alla was offered to manage a coffee farm in Ka'u. In 2018 they moved back to Hawaii where their coffee journey has begun.

 

After five years of managing a 24-acre farm in Wood Valley, they partnered up with James to establish A Coffee Farm.

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The farm is located in the remote and peaceful Moa'ula farm subdivision that lies on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa, one of the largest active volcanoes on earth. It is a part of the Ka'u region of the Big Island, with the multiple farm lots situated between 1,300 and 1,750 feet elevation. Deep soil, cloudy afternoons, and 60 inches of rain per year yield a sweet, aromatic, balanced coffee. Their coffee trees vary from newly planted to mature.

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What are your biggest challenges as a coffee farmer?

Management of coffee diseases and pests.

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What are your biggest joys as a coffee farmer?

For Rus and Alla, being born and raised in small towns of USSR growing coffee still sounds exotic to us. We like that every day at the farm is different. Working with plants and being close to the earth in a beautiful high-elevation yet still tropical landscape and knowing that we are producing a truly special exceptional product makes this a dream job.

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Where can your coffee be found for purchase?

Our farm is still being planted and our trees are very young. As soon as we have coffee available for sale, we will publish the store link.