After nearly four decades in operation, the popular visitor destination Kauai Coffee Company is scheduled to close in March when its lease expires. Located on the southwest side of Kauai, the 3,100-acre coffee farm is the largest U.S. coffee grower, home to more than 4 million coffee trees. It has long been a major agricultural and tourism presence on the island.
The company sent out notices to its 136 employees in January, stating that it expects to cease operations due to the landowner not renewing the lease.
Kauai Coffee has been owned by Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group since 2011, but the company does not own the land it farms. Instead, it operates under a lease with Colorado-based Brue Baukol Capital Partners, which purchased the land in 2022.
Both sides say lease negotiations are ongoing until it expires in March, though Brue Baukol Capital Partners has also indicated it is considering continuing coffee production without Kauai Coffee Company at the helm.
"Brue Baukol Capital Partners is committed to preserving and evolving Kauai Coffee's legacy, maintaining the benefits it provides to employees, the local community and the local economy," James Priestley, vice president of Brue Baukol, said in a statement. "While we remain in active lease negotiations, should there be a need for change in management, it is our intention to retain all Kauai Coffee employees who wish to continue working with us."