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Big Island Hawaii’s Kona coffee—the world’s 3rd most expensive cup of Joe

KCBX | By Tom Wilmer
Published December 17, 2017 at 7:23 AM PST
Judi Boulter visits with correspondent Tom Wilmer at Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer

The Trellis Coffee Company, producers of the Kona Joe Coffee brand on the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of hundreds of coffee producers in the Kona District. Kona Joe was the first island coffee grower to utilize a trellising system. 

Trellised coffee plants at The Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii
Credit Tom Wilmer
Trellised coffee plants at The Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii

Trellising provides the same advantages that have proven advantageous in vineyards around the world--maximizing solar exposure, and efficient plant spacing and harvesting. 

The view from Kona Joe Coffee visitor center at The Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii. Higher elevations serve best for maximizing flavor qualities of Kona Coffee
Credit Tom Wilmer
The view from Kona Joe Coffee visitor center at The Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii. Higher elevations serve best for maximizing flavor qualities of Kona Coffee

Join Judi Boulter at The Trellis Coffee Company on the Big Island of Hawaii as she “talks story” with Tom Wilmer.

Kona coffee processing production at Kona Joe's on the Big Island of Hawaii
Credit Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer
Kona coffee processing production at Kona Joe's on the Big Island of Hawaii

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Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer winner of the 2017, 2016, 2105, 2013 Lowell Thomas Award
Credit SATW Foundation
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer winner of the 2017, 2016, 2105, 2013 Lowell Thomas Award
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Tom Wilmer
Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
See stories by Tom Wilmer
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