Kona Coffee and Tea Co.

Dan Bolton is one of the most interesting men in Kona. Successful, irreverant, down to earth, driven, and a hell of a nice guy, he is happily married to his wife and partner in all things Jan, and they are also the owners of Kona Coffee and Tea Co. with over 100 acres of coffee growing on their ranch of several thousand acres high above, and I mean high above Holualoa. Dan is no slouch when it comes to quality, for Kona Coffee and Tea Co won the Gevalia Cup in 2003. Did I mention that his daughter Malia won second place in the Gevalia Cup last year for her organic 8 acre Malia Ohana Ranch, and also helps her dad run the Kona Coffee and Tea Co empire.

Thats Dan above and Jan just below. Their ranch is something to behold. Malia took me for a tour and as we rode high up the mountain, through several gates and onto a dirt road past herds of sheep I knew this was a special place. Then we get to the ranch house, a two story structure, southern plantation meets hawaiian ranch house, with a wide outside patio supported by a colonade of local hardwood trees.  This is living in paradise, back to the roots on a ranch worthy of the name.

But the essence is the coffee, 100 acres plus and with plans for expansion.  Dan is self contained, processing his own cherry, and acting as a big player in the Kona Coffee market while maintaining a home spun persona.

And did I mention the sheep. They are everywhere. Below is a gaggle of the critters prancing across an open meadow high up in the hills. Talk about free range.

Then of course there is Malia, as lovely as she is smart, and a rising star of the future in Kona Coffee.  This is no dilitante daughter of a well to do man.  Malia works her ass off, on her farm and for her dad.  She knows her coffee and knows her business, and no job is too small to recieve her full attention.  Thats her below flashing the Shakka sign as she drives the open jeep across the ranch land on our tour.

Kona Coffee and Tea Co can be found on the internet at www.konacoffeeandtea.com or by phone at 808 329 6577.

Malia Ohana

Malia Bolten is a rising force in Kona Coffee.  The daughter of Dan and Jan Bolten, founders of Kona Coffee and Tea Co. (which won the Gevalia cup in 2003), Malia has her own 8 acre coffee farm, Malia Ohana, which came in second in the Gevalia Cup last year.  Malia not only handles a range of duties for her fathers operation, she is completely on top of her own farm and whatever else is going on with Kona Coffee, and she's certainly not hard to look at. The Devil Dog approves.  Of course it helps that she's sharp, bright, witty and independent, dedicated to her craft, and deeply knowledgeable about the Kona Coffee industry. Expect Malia Bolten to be around a long time.  Her Malia Ohana brand coffee can be purchased through www.konacoffeeand tea.com or by calling 808 896 7907.