Grand Opening & Recipe Contest

Kathleen Kam moves her final mural before it's installed in the Visitor Center.
Photo by Julia Neal

Ka'u Coffee Mill Visitor Center celebrated its Grand Opening on May 6 and is now open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, Monday through Friday. Visitors are invited to tour the mill and surrounding farms, view the beautiful original artwork and murals by Kathleen Kam, taste Ka'u Coffee, learn more about how coffee makes it from the field to your cup and purchase merchandise supporting the Ka'u Coffee Mill. 

Ka'u Coffee Brigadeiros, 1st place Amateur Candy,
by Gwen Edwards of Kailua-Kona.
Photo by Rachael Sauerman

Carl Okuyama judged entries.
Photo by Rachael Sauerman

Being active supporters of the Ka'u Coffee Festival, the mill celebrated its opening with a Triple C Recipe Contest for the community. The contest, an official event of the 2012 Ka'u Coffee Festival, called community members to create cookies, crackers and candies using Ka'u Coffee. 

Contest judge Brad Hirata (left) and
Olson Trust Land Manager John Cross (right)
award Ka'u Coffee grower Trinidad Marques
first place in the Professional Cookie Category
for her Ka'u Kope Mocha Cookies.
Photo by Julia Neal

Gwen Edwards won first,
Amateur Candy category,
for her
Ka'u Coffee Brigadeiros.
Photo by Rachael Sauerman

Participants received an 8 ounce bag of medium roasted coffee from the mill upon turning in their application forms.To balance the competition, professional, amateur and student entries were judged separately. Each first place winner in each category (i.e. professional cookie) took home $150, while second place winners took home $100, and third place winners took home $50. Local chef Brad Hirata of Ka'u Hospital; foodie Carl Okuyama, owner of Wiki-Wiki Mart and Island Market in Na'alehu, and Ka'u Coffee Mill founder Edmund C. Olson served as judges. 

Edmund Olson awards the Grand Prize to Chealsea Lynn Kauionalani Rosario for her Biscotti.
Photo by Julia Neal

Edmund C. Olson and his Land Manager John Cross announced the winners and handed out awards at the event. The overall top scorer, Chelsea Lynn Kauionalani Rosario of Ocean View, HI, received the Grand Prize of $500 for her Amateur Cracker entry titled Biscotti. The recipe incorporated five Ka'u grown ingredients, for which it was awarded bonus points.

As of yet, the mill is trying to create a Ka'u Coffee Mill signature product from the top winners, which will be sold at the Ka'u Coffee Mill Visitor Center once the final product is ready.

Triple C Recipe Contest Winners:

Amateur Division, Candy Category
1st place - Gwen Edwards with "Ka'u Coffee Brigadeiros"

2nd place - Cathy Behrens with "Ka'u Coffee Ball Cookies"

3rd place - Raylyne Welker with "Coffee Caramel Candy"


Amateur Division, Cookie Category
1st place - Lisa Dacalio with "Ka'u John Bull Cookies"

2nd place - Shawn Marques with "Keoua's Ka'u Coffee Coco/Mac Attack Cookies"

3rd place - Mary Coulman with "Ka'u Expresso Oatmeal Fruit Cookie"

Amateur Division, Cracker Category
1st place - Chelsea Lynn Kauionalani Rosario with "Biscotti"

2nd place - Tammie Nelson Ewers with "Ka'u Biscotti"

3rd place - Raylyne K. Welker with "Ka'u Coffee Crackers"

Professional Division, Cookie Category
1st place - Trinidad Marques with "Ka'u Kope Mocha Cookies"

2nd place - Carol Barr with "Welfare Bits"


Student Division, Candy Category
1st place - Malie Ibarra with "Ka'u Coffee Toffee"