Sunday, June 1, 2008 7:26 AM HST
Kona Coffee Growers are baring it all to make a statement about the importance of keeping 100 percent Kona Coffee labeling true to the product. In a new 2009 calendar, 10 female farmers are posing nude to get attention about Kona coffee and what makes it so special.
Taking a lead from the movie "Calendar Girls," women ranging from 48 to 70 years old are posing in photos that represent what it takes to make 100 percent Kona coffee.
"It`s all about protecting the Kona coffee name," said calendar girl and Kona Coffee Farmer Association fundraiser coordinator Mary Lou Moss. "You don`t see a 10 percent Washington apple or a 10 percent Georgia Peach."
Moss is a Kona coffee farmer who also spends her days educating people about Kona coffee and the labor intensive process it takes to produce each bag of 100 percent Kona coffee. Moss said all the women had a great time making the calendar because they are all so passionate about their Kona Coffee. The concern for local farmers is the desecration that happens to the Kona Coffee name when blenders label and market their coffee as Kona coffee.
The calendar shows consumers how the farmers process the Kona Coffee crops and also includes educational text to explain what makes 100 percent Kona Coffee so unique.
The planning of the calendar began during Christmas 2005 and the women began shooting in January this year. Moss said the planning took a while because she and public relations member Christine Shepard were waiting to find a female photographer to shoot the photos and women interested in baring the naked truth for the cause.
"It just all came together so nicely with the female photographer, and Christine was able to use the photographer`s equipment to edit, and all the ladies came together, and we had Vicki at Alii printing putting it all together," Moss said.
A portion of the funds from the 2009 calendar will help to send KCFA members to the legislative hearings in Honolulu to testify. Fortunately, some of the farmers on the legislative committee are retired attorneys and are able to find existing regulations, such as those used for Napa Valley Wine, to base their information on.
"I don`t understand why the Legislature doesn`t want to protect one of its specialty crops," Moss said.
The battle for passing a legislative bill that would protect the labeling laws has been in place for several years. Moss said the legislature has argued that enforcing the labeling laws and requiring blenders to include at least 70 percent Kona coffee in the blend would hurt the blenders and upset the coffee industry.
The problem with the blends is that the other coffee has to be fumigated in order to be processed in Hawaii so the consumer is tasting chemicals from the fumigation process opposed to the genuine Kona coffee beans used in 100 percent Kona coffee.
Moss said that each year there is approximately 3 million pounds of Kona coffee to come from the crops each year and it sells out. In recent sessions, the legislature has acknowledged the blends degrade the Kona Coffee name and causes consumer fraud and confusion. There has recently been a proposal to do a study, but Moss said she feels it is a stall tactic and is frustrated because the blenders are so influential to the legislature.
"I`m tired of seeing the gourmet name put on the cheap blends," Moss said.
Moss is featured as Ms. July where she is picking coffee. The greatest obstacle for her shoot was finding trees that were still bearing fruit in January. Eventually they had to do the shoot at a farm located at a higher elevation. Moss said some of the pictures were time sensitive due to the timing of processing the Kona coffee crops.
Christine Shepard helped Moss plan the calendar and write the text. After starting a new job where she is responsible for editing marine life photography, Shepard recruited her boss into the project to work as the photographer. After planning the shoots to represent the things farmers do in the field and getting the women together, the calendar was underway.
"We were wondering how many of our members were going to do this," Shepard said. "But in the end, we actually ended up turning people away."
The calendar is expected to launch on Tuesday during a coffee festival in Waikoloa where the KCFA has a booth. Copies will also be available at several area stores, Borders and on the internet. Shepard said she is hoping the calendar will be a success and they will have to do a second print.
"It was interesting because for the group photo there are 10 naked ladies," Shepard said. "When we went to do the shoot there were 10 ladies walking around in the nude. It was quite a thing to see."
Calendar girl and KFCA member Ms. September, Deb Sims, was shot raking parchment on a drying deck. During her shoot, Sims said they had to do a retake because the original photos were a little too suggestive. Sims describes the overall calendar experience as a fun and an exciting challenge to push the envelope.
"I was familiar with the movie `Calendar Girls,`" Sims said. "I like that take charge attitude. That`s who I am so it was right up my alley. It was one of those things if I had read this article, I would have wanted to be a part of it."
Sims got into coffee farming after moving to the big island about five years ago with her husband. After a tragic accident that took her 18-year-old daughter`s life, Sims and her husband decided to relocate to the Big Island with the intention of simplifying their lives. Having grown up in agriculture, the Sims bought an 11-acre farm they named Sweet Spirit Farms that is dedicated to working toward sustainability.
The processing of Kona coffee is a year round deal. Sims said the only time coffee farmers come up for air is in June when there is a lull and the coffee is just ripening. After the berry ripens, the harvesting begins where farmers go into the field and pick the red berry. The farmers then have to process, ferment and sundry the berries. The next step is the parchment and the roasting. The process of putting the coffee beans through the dry mill and roasting is a science and an art in itself, Sims said.
After the processing is completed, each farmer is responsible for their own marketing. Sims said many area farmers sell their coffee online or go to the farmers market and hope to gain loyal customers that will continue to purchase the coffee. Each farmer posing in the 2009 calendar has their own label and is constantly roasting the coffee to ensure the customers are receiving the freshest possible coffee.
Kona coffee gets its smooth flavor from the unique growing conditions found in Kona and the fact that each berry is hand picked to ensure the delicate flavor. Other coffees are done by machine and there is no difference between the red and green berries. Sims said the shading in the afternoons and the way the rain comes in makes the crops special as well. There is also the location between the volcanoes and the volcanic soil that the coffee is grown in that makes it like no other coffee in the world. Sims said the end result is absolutely wonderful.
Ms. January is standing in the trees pruning. Ms. February is on the tractor wearing only her boots and socks. The lady roasting is behind the coffee roaster. Ms. June is relaxing on the sun deck enjoying a cup of Kona coffee.
Sims describes making the calendar as a party at every shoot. The reaction from her friends and family has been positive and they are all anticipating the launch of the final product. Sims said she believes it is going to help the cause to raise awareness and get attention out to the broader base.
"One of the gals says, `We`re raising eyebrows to raise awareness,`" Sims said.
Photographer Sue Debritz said she had never done anything like this before. With her people experience in photography being mainly children, Debritz said this was out of her realm. During the first shoot, nobody really had an idea of what they were doing. Initially, the ladies were uncomfortable, but after a little champagne, they started to loosen up.
"The first shoot it was just three of the women that were in the shot, but by the end we had an entire entourage," Debritz said.
After taking at least 1,000 photos of the women, the coffee trees, the processing and the roasting, Debritz would edit and hand them over to Shepard. Debritz said a lot of thought and attention to details went into each shoot to make sure the final shot worked. The main concern for Debritz was to make sure the calendar flowed and there was continuity.
Debritz said before the calendar she had no concept of the difference between 100 percent Kona coffee and the blends. After shooting the calendar and learning the labor-intensive process of what it takes to make Kona coffee, Debritz said she understands why the labeling laws are not right. For all her hard work and time, the Kona Coffee farmers will be donating a bag of coffee to Debritz every month. Debritz said the greatest reward is all the new friends she has gained in the process.
"I was one of the uneducated ones," Debritz said. "I hope this calendar educates people about Kona coffee and brings this issue out."
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