T Loong Kona Farms

T Loong Kona Farms, in the heart of the Kona Coffee Farm Belt, is where we produce 100% pure Kona coffee for our brand, Royal Islander Coffee.

In 1848 my ancestors were awarded land located in the middle of the Kona Coffee Farm Belt during the “Great Mahele.” The Mahele resulted in the abolition of the previous semi-feudal system.  Under this system, rule over an ahupua’a was given by the king to a chief.  The land began from the ocean to the mountain, partitioned in narrow strips containing a lowland cultivated area and upland forested region. Everything needed to live completely off the land was there. Family living near the ocean traded fish for meat, or taro root for sweet potato. My ancestors believed that the land, the sea, the clouds and all of nature were interconnected.  And it was important to use all of the resources around them to reach a balance in life.

My grandmother eventually inherited the land.  She then met and married my grandfather who had migrated to Hawaii from China.  He brought with him orange seeds from the province where he lived.  The trees from the seeds he planted would become a living reminders of a land and life that he left behind.  He was a familiar sight seen tending his trees in the Ho’okena region of Captain Cook.  People passing began calling him “Alani” meaning orange in Hawaiian. He later adopted the name in place of his Chinese name.  My father’s brothers and sisters kept the Hawaiian name but my father chose the real Chinese name, Tung-Loong.

In 1913, my grandmother eventually decided to convey her land to her “keiki” (children) to effectively keep title within the family. She divided the land into 10-15 acre parcels for each of her children. By this time. my family was growing coffee, oranges, and other exotic fruit.

Only 600 small farms are located in the Kona Coffee Farm Belt.  The location has the perfect environment for producing 100% Pure Kona Coffee:

1. Volcanic fertile soil.
2. 500 ft. to 3,000 ft. altitude.
3. Morning sunshine and temperature never lower than 55 degrees F.
4. Cloud cover or shade from intense sun by late afternoon.
5. Mountain slope and lava rock for good drainage.
6. The older and richer lava flow found in the “belt” not found elsewhere.

I began my Kona coffee farm in 2009 soon after inheriting the land.  Ancient Arabica and Guatemalan trees were already growing.  The lower area of my farm now contains 1500 coffee trees.  The higher rain forest area will be preserved in the spirit of respect for balance and harmony.

Hawaii State regulations mandate that only coffee grown in the Kona Coffee Farm Belt can legally be called Kona Coffee.  Coffee grown outside the belt must be called Hawaiian coffee.  Be sure the coffee your purchase is truly 100% pure Kona coffee.