Kona Coffee Farms: Tours & Tastings
Kona coffee grows on the slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa, where nearly 1000 farms make up the Kona Coffee Belt. Several of these farms welcome visitors, offering free guided tours, pouring free tastes and allowing you to purchase beans you can't find anywhere else. You'd never know Kona had all these farms just by driving around, since most are not visible from the road, and there is no master list to choose from. I like to think of it as a scavenger hunt. The more I drive around looking for coffee producers in Kona, the more I find. That's because the industry, although seemingly huge, is small. Farmers know each other. They manage each other's farms, roast each other's beans and talk up the producers they think are doing a great job. So while I can help you find a coffee farm or shop that offers everything you are looking for, your best bet is to use this guide as a starting point and get out there and talk to people. The fun is in the discovery.
At a Glance
- Where
- Kona Coffee Belt is located on the western slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualālai. Roughly 30 miles long, it extends from Palani Road in North Kona to Hōnaunau in South Kona via the Mamalahoa Highway (Route 11).
- Growing elevation
- Ranging 500 to 3000 feet.
- Number of farms
- Around 1000 coffee farms operate across the Kona Coffee Belt. Most are backyard farms under 5-acres.
- Coffee harvest season
- Generally June or July through January, depending on where the farm is in Kona.
- Visit prices
- Experiences range from free tours and tastings to paid experiences ~$20-$190 per adult.
- Typical visit length
- ~45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the experience.
- 100% Kona vs. Kona Blend
- 100% means beans are only grown in the Kona district. Starting July 1, 2027, Kona Blends must have at least 51% beans grown in the Kona district. The other 49% can come from anywhere in the world.
- Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
- Annual Kona coffee festival. November 6–15, 2026
Which farm should I visit?
If you are curious to see how Kona coffee is grown and processed, I recommend a farm that offers guided farm tours. I've offered some of my favorites below. If you've already seen a coffee farm and know how it is produced, visiting farms that offer tastings and a wide selection of beans, or coffee shops that carry local beans, will be a better fit for you — unless you just love being on a farm like I do. If you are looking to dig into the history of Kona coffee, I recommend visiting the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, an outdoor museum of coffee farming where you can chat with farmers and learn how the industry began here in the late 19th century.
If you are basing your decision around proximity, there are two major areas: Hualālai (closer to Kailua-Kona) and further south around Kealakekua and Captain Cook. My recommendations below will help you narrow down the best choices based on what you will experience, where the farm is located and how much it costs.
Holualoa / North Kona
Holualoa / North Kona
Uluwehi Coffee Farm
Good for: Custom roasting, small private tours, near Kona International Airport
As I write this, I'm sipping on a freshly brewed cup of 100% Kona coffee called Antidote, a single-origin SL34 (that's a variety of coffee) grown 1,900 feet up the slopes of Hualālai at Uluwehi Coffee Farm. Unless you're the type to talk to your baristas about where they get their beans from or read the back of your coffee bags, you'd never know that the award-winning Uluwehi Coffee Farm supplies beans for some of the best specialty coffee shops in Hawaiʻi, including White Nene, Big Island Coffee Roasters, Bad Ass Coffee, Berry Bird and Bean About Town.
Cost: $28 farm tour and tasting
Location: 75-5410 Uluwehi Place, Holualoa
Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 9 or 10:30 a.m. tours; reservations must be made ahead of time
Hula Daddy Kona Coffee
Good for: An intimate, award-winning tasting in the heart of Holualoa's coffee-town district.
This 30-acre estate farm in Holualoa processes and roasts its own beans and has placed at the top of the Kona Coffee Cupping Competition's Classic Division. Their one-hour tour walks you through the orchard and roasting room before a tasting of estate coffees.
Cost: $35 per person for a one-hour guided tour.
Location: 74-4944 Mamalahoa Highway, Holualoa
Hours: Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Buddha's Cup Kona Coffee & Tea Farm
Good for: An ATV-based tour of a larger estate, or a private, appointment-only experience.
Buddha's Cup farms include five estates across 80 acres in Holualoa. The farm grows coffee and tea side by side. Tours run by appointment only, Monday through Friday, and range from a free self-guided walk to guided ATV tours through the orchards, tea garden and nursery. You can also sign up for tea or coffee tastings.
Cost: Tours from $30-$190/person including the Self-Guided Tour, Manny’s Walking Tour, Express ATV Tour , VIP Owner Tour and ATV Deluxe Tour; Kona coffee tasting $38/person, Hawaiian tea tasting $38/person
Location: 78-1377 Bishop Road, Holualoa
Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Heavenly Hawaiian
Good for: Families and first-timers who want an easy, affordable guided walk with unlimited tastings.
This 40-acre family farm above Holualoa grows, processes and roasts its coffee on-site and is home to the Konalani Coffee Bar, one of the first farm-side coffee bars in Kona. The one-hour guided walk ends with unlimited samples of the farm's coffee.
Cost: Farm tours from $30/person; coffee-roasting experience from $45/person; coffee brewing workshop $65/person; paint & sip class $100 per person
Location: 78-1136 Bishop Road, Holualoa
Hours: Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
Good for: Free, no-reservation tours; families and visitors wanting to make an afternoon of it; ATV tour or private roasting experience
Mountain Thunder grows Kona's highest-elevation coffee, in the Kaloko cloud forest above Kailua-Kona. There are free 20-minute tours that run every hour, no reservation needed. There are also self-guided Lava Tube and Nature Walks for $10 per group, private tours and ATV tours. Closed during the annual Ironman competition, Thanksgiving, Christmas day and New Years day.
Cost: Standard tours are free; $10 for self-guided lava tube and nature walk
Location: 73-1942 Ha'o Street, Kailua-Kona
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Captain Cook and Kealakekua / South Kona
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
Good for: Learning the history of Kona coffee
This is a fun experience for both adults and kids. The homestead property is set up the way it would have been when it was a working coffee farm between 1925 to 1994. Here, you will learn about the Japanese immigrants who turned the Kona coffee industry into what it is today.
Cost: $20/adults, $14/students (ages 8-17), free for children under 7, $15/kamaʻāina
Location: 82-6199 Hawaiʻi Belt Road, Captain Cook
Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Greenwell Farms
Good for: Visitors sightseeing along the south Kona coast. Combine with Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau and Manago Restaurant.
Greenwell Farms is a long-running coffee farm in Kealakekua and one of the only you can see easily from the highway — this makes it a popular stop for Kona coffee lovers. Its guided farm experience takes visitors beyond a tasting room and into the process of growing and producing Kona coffee.
Cost: Free tour and tasting; you pay only if you buy coffee.
Location: 81-6581 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua
Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 3:30
Hala Tree Coffee Farm
Good for: Full farm-to-cup experience, free tours and tastings
This is my personal favorite. Hala Tree produces 100% Kona coffee, grown across 100 acres in South Kona. They offer a wide range of varieties from Peaberry to Geisha. Each coffee is labeled with a QR code that tells you where and when the coffee was grown and harvested and when it was roasted. Hala Tree is one of the only farms in Kona that grows, processes, roasts, sells and brews its own coffee. Tours max out at 12 people, offering a more intimate experience, allowing you to get to know the staff and ask questions. Each farm tour ends with a coffee tasting and a tasting of the farm's mamaki tea and coffee tea. If you are on Oʻahu, visit Hala Tree Cafe and Bakery at 2380 Kūhiō Ave. in Waikīkī.
Cost: Farm tour with tasting is free; coffee roasting tour $20 per person; coffee brewing workshop $20 per person; coffee cupping workshop $50 per person; additional coffee flights range from $12 to $30.
Location: 82-5966 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What a Kona coffee farm visit is actually like
Most tours follow the same basic format. You'll typically start by walking through the orchard, where your guide will point out coffee cherries at different stages of ripeness and discuss harvesting methods and time of year. From there, tours usually move to the wet mill, where the fruit is pulped off the bean within hours of picking, and then to the drying area, often an open-air platform called a hoshidana (if the farm conducts these steps onsite). Farms that roast on-site will usually walk you through that process too. Nearly every tour either begins or ends with a tasting, where you sample the farm's coffee, sometimes alongside its roast profiles or single-origin varieties. Some farms add extras, like tea tastings, ATV rides through the orchard or a hands-on roasting class. If a farm's website doesn't spell out what's included, it's worth calling ahead, since the experience really does range from a casual 20-minute walk to a half-day, multi-stop tour.
When to visit
Harvest season generally runs from June or July through January, depending on elevation and rainfall. This is when you'll see pickers out in the orchard hand-harvesting coffee cherries. The wet mills will be running and the drying decks will be full. Outside harvest season, farms are still open and tours still run, but you won't see cherries being picked or processed, just trees and the roasting side of the operation. Mornings tend to be quieter and cooler for walking around an orchard, afternoons can get hot. If your visit lines up with the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival (usually in early November), expect farms to be busier and some to offer festival-specific tours, but also a livelier, more festive atmosphere overall.
Getting there
The Kona coffee belt splits into two main areas. The northern cluster centers on Holualoa, a small former plantation town in the hills above Kailua-Kona, about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Kona. Most of the farms here, including Uluwehi Coffee Farm, Hula Daddy and Heavenly Hawaiian, are located along or just off Māmalahoa Highway and Bishop Road. The southern cluster runs along Highway 11 from Kealakekua down through Captain Cook, about 20 to 30 minutes south of Kailua-Kona, and includes Greenwell Farms, Hala Tree Coffee Farm and the Kona Coffee Living History Farm. Both areas are easy to reach by rental car. There's no public transit built around the coffee belt, so plan on driving.
Buying Kona coffee at the farm
If a bag says "100% Kona," every bean inside has to be grown in the Kona district. If it says "Kona Blend," current state law only requires 10% of the beans to be Kona-grown, though that minimum is increasing to 51% starting July 1, 2027. Buying directly from a farm is generally the best way to know exactly what you're getting. Prices for 100% Kona coffee at the farm typically run comparable to or a bit less than what you'd pay in a retail shop, since there's no middleman. Many farms will ship purchases home for you, which is worth asking about if you don't want to carry pounds of coffee in your luggage.
Coffee Shops Serving Kona Coffee
Visit these specialty coffee shops around Hawaiʻi Island to taste various expressions of Kona coffee.
If you're on the Kohala Coast:
- HiCO — Open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Waikoloa Village, 68-1845 Waikoloa Road, No. 126, Waikoloa.
- Waimea Coffee Company — Open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Parker Square, 65-1279 Kawaihae Road, Waimea.
If you're on the Kona Coast:
- Kona Coffee & Tea — Open daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Kona Coast Shopping Center, 74-5588 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona.
- Kaya's Coffee — Open daily, 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 79-7300 Hawaiʻi Belt Road, Kealakekua.
- White Nene Coffee Roasters — Downtown Kona location: 75-5742 Kuakini Highway, No. 101, Kailua-Kona, open Tuesday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Coffee trailer: 76-5905 Māmalahoa Highway, Hōlualoa, open daily, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Berry Bird Coffee — 75-6129 Aliʻi Drive, Kailua-Kona.
- Kaʻū Coffee Roasters — Open daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 75-5663 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona.
If you're near Hilo:
- Big Island Coffee Roasters — Open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 76 Kalanianaole St., Hilo.
- Paradise Roasters — Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 250 Keawe St., Hilo.
Kaʻū Coffee
Kaʻū is another major coffee-growing region on Hawaiʻi Island, south of Kona. There are farms you can visit here too, making quality coffee just as good as Kona's. According to “The Hawaiʻi Coffee Book,” by Hawaiʻi coffee expert Shawn Steiman, Kaʻū coffee as we know it today began around 1996 after the Kaʻū Sugar Co. mill closed. Kaʻū Coffee Mill, located near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, serves as a cooperative for growers in the area. Weather permitting, the mill offers guided tours of the orchards and roasting room, along with a free tasting. There is a gift shop and free parking on site. Call ahead to make sure it is open before driving over.
Kaʻū Coffee Mill — 96-2694 Wood Valley Road Pāhala, HI 96777, (808) 928-0550
*Temporarily closed due to extreme weather damage
