Growing Up On The Farm: Zadie's Perspective
A Guest Blog, written by Zadie Bolton, age 14, our co-owner's daughter. Zadie grew up on the Kona Coffee & Tea farm in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and we asked her to share her unique thoughts.
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Written by Zadie Bolton.
My youngest memories on this farm are from when I lived here in the red house on the hill. I loved running around and picking the wild raspberries that grew up there. Planting a coffee tree of my very own and driving through the “Kona snow” are also among my favorite memories. Even though that was ten years ago, I still enjoy going up to the farm and picking the wild berries and fruit that grow up there. Recently, I went on a coffee tour with Brad Fyffe to better educate myself in my family's coffee growing process. It was a very cool experience and I would highly recommend it.
I learned all about the process of owning a coffee farm. While I have grown up on this farm, I did not know everything about the process that happens between getting the coffee from the farm into your cup. Brad showed me where the new growth is on the tree and where the beans themselves grow from. He taught me all about the old Hawaiian ahupua’a and how that determined the way the land was divided. He spoke about how planting certain fruits in the coffee rows helps to replenish the nutrients in the soil. It is all a very detailed process from deciding where to plant the coffee trees and which beans to pick.
Zadie with her Dad, Danny Bolton.
During this tour, I shared some of the knowledge I’ve picked up from growing up on the farm. I pointed out the macadamia nuts to the people on the tour and showed them how to crack them open. I found an awapuhi plant and explained that it can used as shampoo. I was also able to teach them about a special type of coffee bean called peaberry. A normal coffee bean has two beans in it, but a peaberry only has one. I found one on a coffee tree and taught the others on the tour the difference in shape and size between a peaberry and a normal coffee cherry and bean.
Not only was I able to observe and learn about coffee and fruit on the farm, but I also learned about the cacao and honey produced there. Cacao isn’t only used to create chocolate, you can also eat the seeds inside like a lychee. The honey bee hives that are spread in a variety of locations around the farm are used to create honey to sell in the shop. They not only use the honey to sell in the shop but they are there to help pollinate the coffee trees. When I help with the honey process, I’m usually the person who puts the honey in the jars. If you find yourself fortunate enough to visit our shop I highly recommend you try our succulent honey and aromatic peaberry roast.
I look forward to helping expand our coffee tour operations so that they are not secluded to just the coffee farm, but people are able to come and observe our milling and roasting process as well and allow people from around the world to experience and taste the delicacy that is 100% Kona Coffee.
-Zadie Bolton, Age 14