About Hula Daddy

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a world class coffee farm? In 2002, we (Lee and Karen Paterson) decided to find out. We bought an 11 acre cow pasture in Kona, Hawaii to see if we could create one of the ten best coffees in the world.

We started by hiring a local agronomist who had the outstanding reputation for planning Kona Coffee plantations. With his help we bulldozed the property and planted 7000 coffee trees. Three years later, we harvested our first crop. It wasn’t great coffee, but it had promise. In the next few years our coffee beans got better and better and we began to win awards and get good reviews.

In 2008, we hired a coffee expert from Minnesota (It helped that snow was just beginning to fall in Minneapolis.) We also retained a soil consultant from the Napa Valley wine industry. Within the next six months, we changed every operation on our farm from planting to roasting. At every step we asked the question “Will this improve our quality?” It was expensive, in fact we tripled our costs of production, but it worked. The quality of our coffee shot up. In late 2008, our Kona Sweet coffee was reviewed as one of the top six coffees in the world.

In September 2008, we bought a 20 acre pasture at 2500 feet on the slope of the Hualalai Volcano. Before we planted it, we spent a year tasting different varieties of coffee. After we identified the coffee varieties that we thought were outstanding, we went hand picked the coffee seeds. We planted those seeds and will be harvesting our first crop in the next few years.

In 1976, wine drinkers discovered Napa Valley wines when Chateau Montelena was judged the outstanding wine in a French wine tasting. Today, premium Kona Coffee is on the verge of that same awakening. Our goal is that Hula Daddy Kona Coffee will be on the cutting edge of this renaissance.

In 2014 we were the top coffee in the Kona Cultural Festival Cupping Competition. In 2015 we were the top Kona Coffee and the top Hawaiian Coffee in the Hawaii Coffee Cupping Competition.

Product Guarantee

Because Hula Daddy Kona Coffee uses small batch roasting, we ensure that each pound of 100% Kona coffee you purchase is freshly roasted. We guarantee an unforgettable experience rich in aromatic flavor. If for some reason you are unhappy, we encourage you to tell us. We will do whatever it takes to make your Hula Daddy Kona Coffee experience perfect.