Located on the island of Hawaii, Big Island Roasters has a classic American Dream story. This coffee roasting business is owned and managed by a husband and wife duo who moved to the island from Portland in 2010 when they saw a very special Craigslist ad. That ad offered a small, three-acre, mostly run-down farm and topical flower wholesale business that the couple jumped on, obtaining owner-financing, and very shortly after purchase, selling out those flowers. That selling idea transitioned into homesteading, which later transitioned into coffee beans and finally the incarnation it is today: Big Island Coffee Roasters.
Today, over a decade later, that husband and wife duo have created an internationally recognized coffee company. Big Island Coffee Roasters does grow some of their own beans, but the company sources most of its beans from other farms, working directly with over 25 local coffee farmers. Every coffee bean that goes through Big Island Coffee Roasters is handpicked, washed, and medium roasted in small batches. Their roasting takes place every week and results in beans that create delicious, award-winning gourmet coffee.
The best way to directly purchase Big Island Coffee Roasters’ coffee is either through their own website or via the collective online storefront of House of Mana Up which showcases a rich variety of Hawaii products and offers bulk mail discounts. You can also find Big Island Coffee Roasters’ coffee in many mom-and-pop cafes and grocery shops across the Hawaiian islands (and even a few on the mainland), including the popular local organic market chain of Island Naturals.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, Big Island Coffee Roasters is not offering tours of their farm or roasting facility. They have stated that they hope this will change in the coming years, so if you are looking to get a more close-up, in-depth experience of a working coffee farming and coffee roasting operation, be sure to check their website regularly.
No tours but there will soon be another way to enjoy Big Island Roasters as they have solid plans for an upcoming storefront location. As of this writing, Big Island Coffee Roasters is set to open up this store by the fall of 2022. The exact address has not been shared, but this brick-and-mortar shop will be located in Hilo close to both Four Mile Beach and Queen Liliuokalani Park.
A few of the most popular products from Big Island Coffee Roasters include:
Espresso Bites
Espresso bits are large bars that look similar to a large chocolate bar. Only instead of creamy chocolate, you will bite into a delicious mixture of espresso beans, cocoa butter, organic cane sugar, vanilla beans, and sea salt. Each espresso bite packs the equivalent of three espresso shots, making it quite the morning or afternoon pick-me-up.
100% Kona Peaberry Coffee — 93pts
Peaberry coffees are rare due to their small size and small natural production (only one seed forms within each coffee fruit rather than the more common two), and yet they are incredibly delicious. This selection from Big Island Coffee Roasters is their perennial best-seller and has won several awards. Coffee from these beans is rich-toned and deeply sweet with a flavor mingling of black cherry, magnolia, maple syrup, and freshly cut cedar.
Insider Tips:
-House of Mana Up really is the best place to purchase Big Island Coffee Roasters as you can buy their coffee and combine it with other fantastic Hawaiian-made products to take advantage of no shipping costs. You can enjoy free shipping to anywhere on the Hawaiian island on orders over $50, and free standard shipping to anywhere in the mainland United States on orders over $75.
-If you find yourself wanting to switch to Big Island Coffee Roasters for good, make sure to enroll in their Wild Rewards program to earn points redeemable for discount codes on future purchases.