About Us
On
the Big Island of Hawai'i, is the scenic Hamakua Coast. On the North
end
of this 40 mile coast line is the sleepy old plantation town of
Honoka'a. Travel 3 miles up old Mamalahoa road and you will be in
the rustic ranch lands of picturesque Ahualoa the"long hill." Once
on this scenic drive look for the street name Waipahi, take a left,
up a ways then another left. You are now on the 3B Half Horse Ranch.
Here is the home of the Long Ears Hawai'ian Coffee LLC.
The
3B Half-Horse Ranch began as a mule breeding operation, hence the
name "Half-Horse" in 1970 and continues to this day. Our mule factory
produced the only registered mules in the State of Hawai'i, sired
by a "Gold Star" registered Mammoth Catalonian Jackass
named Ozark Red, since he was a dappled red roan. Ozark came to
Ahualoa fro Missouri via 747 Jet from Oakland California to Hilo
Hawaii, first class we might add. Ozark Red has since passed, but
we keep him on our coffee logo and developed a label Long Ears Hawaiian
Coffee LLC. This can be a "hole nada story."
The
Long Ears Hawaiian Coffee LLC began in October of 2000, quite by
accident actually. For years, Arabica coffee trees from Hamakua's
coffee glory days fended for themselves on our Ranch while I concentrated
on my original passion, being the manager of our "mule factory."
It was not until the passing of our beloved Jackass Ozark Red that
we began to take notice of all the red cherry coffee on our trees.
So, for the heck of it, we started picking and before long we had
picked 300 pounds of bright red coffee cherry, now we set out to
find someone to purchase or process this coffee for us. But no one
had any interest in this coffee from Hamakua for one reason or another.
Now, curios to know what is wrong with our coffee cherries, we decided
to process this coffee cherries ourselves, all 300 pounds of it.
Not knowing anything about the process, and after many phone calls
we purchased all the needed equipment, including an old drum roaster.
We now had all the needed equipment to process this coffee right
to the cup, and did just that, we shared this "brew" with
our friends and some old timers who gave us the forgotten history
of Hamakua' coffee. This "spurred" us on and we now found
ourselves smack dab in the middle of a coffee business, 100% Pure
Hamakua' naturally.
Not
having enough coffee of our own, we started searching he hills and
valleys and found small farms that had coffee trees and would sell
us their coffee cherry. We found quite a number of individuals most
of them once employed by the Sugar Industry, now self employed farmers
trying to support their families. They too had the same problem,
no place to sell their coffee cherries, and began to abandon their
coffee trees. We started to buy their coffee cherries and began
a network of told timers who had small plantings on their land.
In some of the remote valleys like Waipio as well as gulches along
the Hamakua' Coastline, here can be found "wild" coffee.
Hamakua' is no stranger to coffee which has been here since early
1800's and in the 1950's there were no less than 3 large coffee
mills processing coffee in the (mauka) upper lands. Come visit,
talk story, learn that Arabica coffee came to this Island and was
grown in the Hamakua' region before Kona.
These
days we, the Long Ears Hawaiian Coffee LLC, are the only coffee
processing operation on the Hamakua' Coast that does the entire
process on site. We are a family owned and operated business. Like
many other small businesses, we are farmers, processors, sales and
marketing. Having complete control in management, we can maintain
a very high standard of quality control. We do this the old traditional
drum roasting, "kind way", which develops the unique flavor
of our featured "aged single estate" 100% Pure Hawaiian
Hamakua Coffee, which we custom roast upon demand. This too is "a
nada story," see, we are not in any hurry, after all this is
Hawaii.
The
Hamakua Coast is also noted for the big trees that grow in this
tropical environment, so why not make use of them? By purchasing
a Lucas Portable Saw Mill we do just that. We mill lumber for our
farm building, slabs for table tops and custom mill for others whatever
the need be. Ask us about he Lucas Mill, come by and check out our
buildings, visit our mules or just drop by and visit with us, talk
story and drink our "Aged Single Estate" Misty Mountain
COffee. You can also try our very unique Kalehua Pea Berry COffee,
also "Aged", or even our Long Hill Coffee Berry Tea.
E Komo
Mai E Ho'onanea me Kope o Hamakua'
Welcome, come sit, relax and enjoy Hamakua' Coffee with us!
Mahalo! Wendall and Netta Branco
Here a few
testimonials:
"I
live in Virginia, recently my father visited Hawai'i and sent me
a pound of dark roast coffee from Long Ears Coffee Company. I am
so impressed with the quality of your products, I would like more"
E.W. Blacksburg, VA, USA
"We
got 5 pounds of Long Ears Coffee �by the way it's the best coffee
we have ever had." J and K.B. Wallkill, N.Y. USA
"We
love you beans." J.P. Honolulu, HI USA
"My
wife and I have been enjoying some of your coffee from the Hamakua
area, you are doing a great job" D.S., Waimea (Big Island) HI
USA
"Many
of my friends are tasting you coffee now in Japan" K.O., Yokohama,
Japan
"We enjoy Long Ears Coffee everyday." K.M. Yokohama City, Japan
"I
have tried many types of coffee, so when I say its good it is good!"C.S.
Honolulu, HI USA
"Got 2 pounds of Hamakua Coast Coffee, really enjoyed it and am
interested in more, love the label." M.H. MO., USA
"Send 2 pounds dark roast,�can't wait..yum, yum, real coffee." W
and S.L. Colorado, USA
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