Get Fresh, Local Coffee Beans and Products Delivered Right to Your Doorstep

Sign up by Feb. 14 to order the next batch of goodies from Hawai‘i Coffee Box.

February 6, 2017

Katrina Valcourt,

January’s box included Maui Mokka and Maui Mellow coffees, plus coffee lip balm, from Big Island Coffee Roasters, along with Hula Girl Foods sugar cane coffee stirrers.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i Coffee Box

Marina Yamamoto takes the title of Miss Kona Coffee seriously.

In 2002, at age 17, she was crowned the winner of the scholarship pageant during the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. Because of her new title, she got to sample some of the best coffees in the world, go on coffee tours and participate in festival events, including a trip to Japan to promote Kona coffee.

“My addiction has only grown stronger ever since,” she says, despite not being allowed to drink coffee as a teenager. Fast-forward to December 2016: As soon as Yamamoto graduated from Hawai‘i Pacific University’s business school, she decided to launch her dream in partnership with Cratejoy: Hawai‘i Coffee Box.

This new subscription service ships fresh, local beans and other products from a different farm or brand each month straight to your doorstep. The first box included two 8-ounce bags of beans from Big Island Coffee Roasters (a Maui Mokka medium roast and a Maui Mellow medium roast), plus coffee lip balm, and organic sugar cane coffee stirrers from Hula Girl Foods. The Maui Mokka coffee won first place in the 2014 Hawai‘i Cupping Competition, and the lip balm is infused with organic nut oils. Though the swizzle sticks are not made by Big Island Coffee Roasters, Yamamoto likes to round out the box with other local products that can enhance the coffee experience.

“With the contents being very different each month, the value of the products is a little different each time. However, I make sure that it is worth more than our purchase price,” Yamamoto says. For instance, January’s contents would have cost $46 if purchased directly, but a single box costs $34.99. You can also prepay for three months’ worth of boxes, bringing the cost down to $33 each, or six months’ worth for $32 each. There’s no commitment—you can set up to automatically renew each month or not, with each shipment going out after the 14th. “It’s not an instant-gratification thing, but it is a fun way to support the local coffee industry, discover new favorites, and the coffee is freshly roasted right before delivery,” Yamamoto says.

The second box, which you can order through Feb. 14, features a pound of Ka‘ū Kakahiaka coffee (normally $37.25) and a small bar of Kona coffee soap from Aloha Farms.

$32 to $34.99 per box, hawaiicoffeebox.com