Where does Kona coffee come from and what is Kona coffee? These are some pretty standard questions when looking at how expensive Kona coffee is. $30 a pound, yikes. But the answers to these questions may shed some light on why Kona coffee is so expensive, and so good!

Kona coffee comes from, you guessed it, Kona, Hawaii. Kona is location on The Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island is the newest and largest of the Hawaiian islands chain and is the largest of the islands as well located at the south eastern most point. The Big Island is littered with lava rock and still has an active volcano that is erupting daily expanding the island as it goes.

The region of Kona is located on the west side of the island just below Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. The weather of the Kona district is usually sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon, and cool at night providing the region with a distinct climate to grow the award winning coffee. The mountain side two has fertile soil from the lava rock and years of sea winds.

Kona coffee is harvested from August to January and is processed by the many farmers who have made a living on the Kona coffee farms. Only coffee from the Kona region of The Big Island can be called Kona coffee. There are blends and imitations that abound but only the real deal can get the name on the packaging.

Kona coffee stamped with “Estate” means the coffee beans come from one farm and one harvest. Any other labeling of 100% Kona Coffee means the beans were collected from several farms and processed at one central location. Also out there are 10% blends that blend coffee from all over keeping only 10% Kona farmed coffee.

A recent article in Fortune Magazine Online sparked my interest in a new trend on The Big Island, sustainable farmed fish. Especially after going to the Kokua Festival this last week and soaking up the energy of the “green scene,” I thought it would be a good idea to do a little more research and pass this article onto our readers.

It turns out, whether we like to admit it or not, the waters in Hawaii and around the world are being over fished. Yup, that big blue ocean is being messed with, and it’s not just the global warming that’s giving it problems. Too many people trying to catch too many fish and not doing so in a sustainable way.

That’s where a company off the Kona coast of The Big Island comes in. Kona Blue Water Farms grows a special breed of yellowtail tuna dubbed Kona Kampachi. The nets are a half mile off shore in some 200 feet deep water. This is a big difference from farmed fish which usually reside in man made reservoirs causing the fish to be lower in nutrients, lack flavor, and be susceptible to diseases in such close corners.

Kona Kampachi on the other hand is claimed to be very flavorful and richer in omega-3 than any other fish in ocean. It’s not genetically engineered. It’s not treated with antibiotics of any sort, or any other growth hormones. It’s also claimed to be of sashimi-grade (which I wasn’t aware there was such a grade of fish.)

The fish are bred on the island in special breeding stations, the eggs are grown up to inch long fishes, and then those fish are taken to the nets until they’re about 4 to 6 pounds. One of only down sides to the growing of fish like this is that the feces could create potential problems for local aquatic life. However, I see this as a much more solvable problem than hormone injected fish, or depleting our oceans.

If you’re interested in the fish you can order right from their website for $17 per pound plus shipping and handling, or you can head to your local Whole Foods which carries the fish for $20 per pound. Kings Supermarkets, Kroger and Costco are all carrying the fish in selcet locations as well.

I think it’s an interesting idea and with the population growing and more and more people looking towards our oceans for food, we’ll need to have ideas like this help keep our oceans from being depleted.

You can read the Fortune article here.