About

About

Pele Plantations is a small family business dedicated to producing the highest quality, single-origin 100% Kona coffee. All of our coffee is sourced from family farms in Kona, Hawaiʻi; it is then freshly roasted and shipped from our Seattle roastery.

Pele Plantations Coffee Farm

Pele Plantations Origins, History, and Logo

Pele Plantations was founded in 1989, when the founding owners formed a co-op to bring organic certification to the Kona coffee community. Artist, historian, and founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society Herb Kawainui Kāne, who lived right on the next farm, drew the original Pele Plantations logo on a napkin for the owners. In our branding updates since then, we have taken great care to preserve Pele’s Hawaiian features as intended by Herb in his original sketch.

We became the second family to own the business when we took over in 2015. Initially, the whole business was run from an organic coffee farm in Honaunau, in the heart of the Kona region. We did all of our roasting there, offered private farm tours, and shipped all of our orders right from the farm.

The small amount of coffee we grew on our farm was never enough to satisfy our customers. Pele Plantations has been sourcing its beans from several carefully selected Kona estates since it opened, allowing us to offer our customers the best selection of the highest-quality, single-estate, 100% organic – and gently treated non-organic – Kona coffee.

In Reverance to Pele

The goddess Pele, also respectfully referred to as Madame Pele or Tūtū Pele, is the goddess of fire and volcanism in all its forms. The volcanic landscape of our island chain is owed to Pele, and thus the rich volcanic soil where Kona coffee grows is also her creation. Pele Plantations is named for the goddess Pele to give due credit for the remarkable flavors in Kona coffee. The distinctive Kona coffee flavor profile is made possible by her volcanic soil and the climate attributes of the island landscapes she created.

Committed to Pono (Ethical) Practices

Our mission at Pele Plantations, in addition to providing the best quality single-origin Kona coffee, is to incorporate Hawaiian culture, language, and values wherever possible and appropriate. Over the years, we have worked with cultural experts and native ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) speakers, and we continue this commitment today. Our coffees have Hawaiian names, but we do not claim ownership or copyright of any Hawaiian words or of Pele’s name as it is not our place, nor the place of any other business or person, to own. We are committed to kuleana (responsibility) and laulima (cooperation and joint action), supporting Hawaiʻi Island farmers and ethical farming practices as well as local community programs including Habilitat, the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center, Nene Research and Conservation, and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund. Put simply, we are committed to pono practices and ʻono (delicious) coffee.

Customer Service

Every single order is received, roasted and shipped by our family. We handle all customer service inquiries personally, and work hard to make sure that each customer enjoys their experience with our company and our coffee.

We love bringing the best of Kona to our customers. Taste it for yourself… and treat yourself to a cup of the freshest, most delicious coffee on the planet.