MEDIA

The award-winning Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized as the oldest and most successful food festival in Hawaii.

The Festival invites our media friends to find a picking of stories relating to Kona's famous harvest, the pioneers who lead the way and the cultural ties that bind this colorful community together.

MEET THE KONA COFFEE CULTURAL FESTIVAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Coming Soon...

PRESS RELEASES

•  WholeCup Coffee Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition Finalists Announced
• 41st Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Celebrates Kona Coffee As The "Pride Of The Pacific"
• Ultimate Barista Challenge® Hawaii & the Kona Barista Jam join the 2011 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
• 2011 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Call for Entries

For media inquiries, fact checking, high resolution Festival images, etc. please contact our media representative: laura@current-events.com.

Plan to attend the 41st annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival and enjoy the cultural celebration that surrounds nearly 185-years of cultivating Kona¹s world-famous coffee.

WHAT: WholeCup Coffee Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition Finalists Announced
WHEN: Wednesday, November 9
WHERE: Keauhou Beach Resort

The competition heats up at the prestigious WholeCup Coffee Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition preliminary round.

Fifty Kona coffee farms entered this year’s Classic competition, all vying to be named the winner and awarded first place.

Cupping entries are blind tastings of Kona’s finest coffee and are assigned a random number to assure anonymity. Judges are looking for high marks in fragrance, aroma, taste, nose, aftertaste and body. To keep the judges’ palates alert between Wednesday’s preliminary and Thursday’s final round, these numbers are changed as the entries progress in the competition.

“We tasted some very interesting coffees early in the preliminary round,” commented Sherri Johns, Head Judge, WholeCup Coffee Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition.

This year, the cupping competition welcomes four well-known industry professionals, Sherri Johns, Head Judge, and founder of WholeCup Coffee Consulting; Tonoko Nagase, UCC Ueshima Coffee Company; Andrew Hetzel, founder of CafeMakers, a global coffee industry consultancy based in Waimea here on the Big Island; and John King, of Harold L. King & Co, one of the oldest, largest and most respected coffee importing companies in the country.   

Thirteen Classic finalists were selected to advance to the final round of competition.

Presented by Kamehameha Schools, the 2011 WholeCup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition finalists are:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

41st ANNUAL KONA COFFEE CULTURAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATES KONA COFFEE AS THE "PRIDE OF THE PACIFIC"

HAWAII’S OLDEST FOOD FESTIVAL SLATED NOVEMBER 4-13, 2011

KONA, HAWAII- Much has been celebrated, discussed and enjoyed over a cup of Kona's world-famous coffee. Praised for its fine, aromatic and memorable taste, Kona coffee will once again take center stage at the 41st annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival from November 4-13, 2011.  

The annual Kona coffee harvest that has sustained Kona's agricultural community for more than 185 years is celebrated every November. The award-winning 10-day Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, recognized as the oldest and one of the most successful food festivals in Hawaii, honors Kona's cultural heritage and recognizes the accomplishments of Kona coffee pioneers, farmers and artisans.

Each year the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival hosts over forty special eventsduring its 10-day schedule. Where else can visitors, residents and veteran Kona coffee pickers compete in the Festival's Kona Coffee Picking Contest, or gather in Historic Kailua Village to watch colorful lanterns light the evening sky as Kona's heritage is celebrated with community groups in colorful ethnic costumes. Festival fun continues with a recipe contest, Kona coffee tastings, a scholarship pageant, two-days of Kona coffee cupping competition, farm tours, cultural workshops, art exhibits, an outdoor concert and much more!

A Sampling of Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Events
Whole Cup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition
A signature event, the prestigious Whole Cup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition is conducted by a panel of international judges who are experts in the coffee industry. The two-day competition percolates with more than 100 judged entries - each assigned a number to assure anonymity. Judges look for high marks in fragrance, aroma, taste, nose, aftertaste and body.

Coffee connoisseurs from around the world will gather to attend the Whole Cup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition and find out which Kona coffee farm will be named as Kona's best.

KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest & Big Island Showcase 
Foodies and culinary fans can catch professionals, culinary students, amateurs and keiki (youth)in action creating unique recipes showcasing Kona coffee as an ingredient in entrees, drinks and desserts.The best part of the day? Once judging is completed, everyone enjoys the samples.

Makaeo Cultural Event
The four-day Makaeo Cultural Event gives festival-goers exciting hands-on daily cultural offerings including a Hawaiian Quilt Workshop, Lei Contest, Coconut and Lauhala Weaving classes, Kona Coffee Industry Workshops, Floral Demonstrations and for keiki  - the Kona Coffee Bicycle Rodeo, Balloon Artist Demonstrations and Ukulele lessons.

Holualoa Village Coffee & Art Stroll
Meet Kona coffee farmers and 'talk story' while sampling estate brews and specialty food items while strolling through boutique art galleries at the Holualoa Village Kona Coffee Tasting & Art Stroll.

Kona Coffee – Pride of the Pacific
Each year the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival chooses a theme appropriate for promoting the Festival. This year's theme, “Pride of the Pacific” will reflect that excitement as the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival showcases Kona’s famous brew to the world. Big Island artist Karen Delimont captured that theme in her winning artwork. Delimonthas been involved in artistic endeavors since she was a keiki. Her grandmother, Rosalinda Gouveia was born in the heart of Kona Coffee Country (Holualoa) in 1901 and raised her family there. Delimont’s artwork will be the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival's cover art for its publications including posters, magazine and admission button.

Plan to attend the 41st annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival and enjoy the cultural celebration that surrounds nearly 185-years of cultivating Kona’s world-famous coffee.

For Kona Coffee Cultural Festival event information, log onto www.konacoffeefest.com.Follow us on Twitter @konacoffeefest and friend us on Facebook

About Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
The award-winning Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized as the oldest and most successful food festival in Hawaii.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized and supported as a 'Major Festival' by Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) as the Festival showcases Hawaii’s unique culture and diversity. Kamehameha Schools is a presenting sponsor of the 2011 WholeCup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition; Kona Barista Jam & Ultimate Barista Challenge Hawaii; and Kona Coffee Market Day at Makaeo County Pavilion. Keauhou Resort is a presenting sponsor of the 2011 official Kona Coffee Cultural Festival events in Keauhou Resort. The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is also supported by Ueshima Coffee (UCC Hawaii) Corp., KTA Super Stores, Kawakami Family of Captain Cook Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, RapozoKamaaina Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, West Hawaii Today,and numerous other corporate and community donors.

Ultimate Barista Challenge® Hawaii & the Kona Barista Jam join the 2011 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival

Portland, Oregon, USA – For the first time, the 41st Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, November 4 – 14, 2011, will feature the international event Ultimate Barista Challenge® Hawaii and a Kona Barista Jam. As attendees from all over the world participate in the Festival, Island Baristi will come together for a rousing two days of barista hands on training sessions designed to increase coffee skills, share passion and increase local consumption followed by the celebrated UBC Hawaii barista competition. Both events occur at the Keauhou Beach Resort on November 9th and 10th, 1 – 6 pm.

The Ultimate Barista Challenge (UBC) ® Hawaii will feature two tasty bouts of espresso challenges, the popular Latte Art Challenge where baristi prepare intricate designs with espresso and steamed milk. Drinks will be judged on Visual Design and Taste. The Espresso Frappe Challenge features iced blended drinks of the baristi own creation, where balance of espresso and ingredients is important. Baristi, who win the qualifying round, face international barista champion Ultimate Barista Heather Perry in a one-on-one dueling Final Challenge of fast-paced espresso excellence. Top scoring barista becomes the Ultimate Barista! UBC certified judges are chefs within the community, coffee tasting specialists, and food writers.  Top scoring local barista will win a trip to attend the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America conference in Portland, Oregon April 2012.

Dr. Shawn Steiman, coffee scientist and consultant, Coffea Consulting, "The Kona Barista Jam and Ultimate Barista Challenge are about education and friendly competition.  What better way to unite the Hawaii coffee industry and get people excited about coffee quality?"

Participation in the Jam and UBC are $50 with all proceeds going to the Festival.

About the 41st Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival 2011 Scheduel of events, please visit: www.konacoffeefest.com

About the Ultimate Barista Challenge: The Ultimate Barista Challenge® is owned and produced by WholeCup Coffee Consulting, LLC. For more information about this cutting edge event, to register, or inquire about available sponsorships, please visit www.ultimatebaristachallenge.com.

WHAT: 2011 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Call for Entries

WHEN: November 4-13, 2011

Kona coffee will take center stage at the 41st annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival coming in November. Several events are calling local residents and visitors to take part in the Festival fun. Below are Festival call for entries.

UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Picking Contest
Rise early on Sunday November 6. Registration starts at 7:30 am at the Ueshima coffee farm in Holualoa. Coffee pickers of all ages and experience are welcome!

KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest
Got a favorite recipe using 100% Kona coffee? Hurry up and enter in the professional, amateur, culinary student and keiki divisions for great cash prizes and bragging rights. Entry forms available at konacoffeefest.com. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, November 2

Kona Coffee Art Show
Art must be on the theme of coffee, either by subject matter or medium. Entry form and pictures due on October 28. Entry forms available at konacoffeefest.com

WholeCup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition
Kona Crown division entry closes November 3rd. Classic division is limited to 60 farms and entry division closes October 26.Winner of the Crown competition will receive a 2011 First Place Ribbon and will have 2000 Lbs. of their coffee sold to UCC and enjoyed by UCC customers around the World. Log onto konacupping.com for entry forms

Kona Barista Jam and Ultimate Barista Challenge
The new Kona Barista Jam and international Ultimate Barista Challenge (UBC) ® Hawaii are looking for Hawaii barista to compete in the celebrated UBC Hawaii barista competition. The top scoring Hawaii barista will win a trip to attend the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America conference in Portland, Oregon next April.

Log onto konabaristajam.com for entry forms or email sherri@ultimatebarsitachallenge.com  

Kona Coffee Lei Contest
This popular event is part of Saturday, November 12 Kona Coffee Marketplace–Festival -more-
of Artists and Ethnic Foods at Makaeo County pavilion. There will be two categories Wili
and Kui and cash prizes for 1-3 places. Entries must be submitted by 10am Saturday, November 12 at Makaeo County pavilion. Log onto konacoffeefest.com for entry forms and more information.

About Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
The award-winning Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized as the oldest and most successful food festival in Hawaii.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized and supported as a ‘Major Festival’ by Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) as the Festival showcases Hawaii’s unique culture and diversity. Kamehameha Schools is a presenting sponsor of the 2011 WholeCup Consulting and UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Cupping Competition; Kona Barista Jam & Ultimate Barista Challenge Hawaii; and Kona Coffee Market Day at Makaeo County Pavilion. Keauhou Resort is a presenting sponsor of the 2011 official Kona Coffee Cultural Festival events in Keauhou Resort. The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is also supported by Ueshima Coffee (UCC Hawaii) Corp., KTA Super Stores, Kawakami Family of Captain Cook Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, Rapozo Kamaaina Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, West Hawaii Today, and numerous other corporate and community donors.