Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/76684
KOHALA COFFEE MILL H���, H����� BY SOPHIA V. SCHWEITZER L owner, and it's no small feat. For starters, Karen, who has a background in the fi ne arts, jumped in with no experience. "Th e opportunity came along," she says. "I knew how to staff masters a fi ne line between extending aloha to tourists and taking care of local clientele. Visitors, it turns out, are oſt en anxious, even though they're on vacation. Th ey have diff erent needs. "It's as if they're still running against the clock," Karen says. "They may expect ingredients they're used to back home, but 38 | August 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com shows and coff ee shops worldwide, took courses and visited coff ee farms. She found support in her husband, Bob Martin, a small-business consultant. Working in a tiny sliver of space behind the counter, the " Learning as she went along, she explored trade for its high quality espresso drinks, fresh-roasted coff ees from Hawaiian-grown beans, and friendly ambiance. A team of about ten employees handle several hundred customers daily, from all walks of life. About 60 percent are tourists. Lines oſt en extend out the door. Th e Mill's rise began in 1997, when Karen Rosen became take out trash and wash towels. I love coff ee, community, and organizing events. And I fi gured, running a coff ee shop holds it all. 1900s, refl ecting the area's bygone sugar plantation era. Neighboring an assortment of galleries and an artsy clothing store, the coff ee shop is decidedly casual, with hand-painted tables, eclectic art, and a menu blackboard scribbled full. Kohala Coff ee Mill is also always busy, prized worldwide little pretense. It's on the thoroughfare through North Kohala, a rural area of about 133 square miles, population 6,300. Th e building in which it operates dates back to the early ocated in downtown Hāwī, Hawaii, a sleepy town on the northern tip of the Big Island, Kohala Coff ee Mill shows that we don't carry." Residents, on the other hand, happily hang out for hours on end, reading the local newspapers or catching up on gossip. The consistently fabulous coffee is key to the shop's success. "Sourcing locally is important to us," Karen says. "But a coffee has to pass our quality and freshness tests first. We sample everything. Currently, we serve a 100 percent Kona brew, rotating beans from four different farms, plus brews from Kaua'i and Maui. Coffee Mill also sells fresh-roasted packaged coffee from Hawaiian farms. Another huge draw? Th e Kohala Coff ee Mill sign on the " Kohala building shares space with another sign, Tropical Dreams Hawaiian ice cream. An arrangement with this famed ice cream maker in Kamuela, a half-hour's drive away, grants the Coff ee Mill a North Kohala exclusive to scoop exquisite fl avors such as Tahitian vanilla, white chocolate ginger and coconut cream. Customers gobble it up. Karen loves it all, working consistently to fi nd creative solutions to cater to her diverse clientele. Her farm-to-plate menu for breakfast and lunch adapts to Hawaii's seasons. Folks return for the coconut chicken curry and a veggie burger made with macadamia nuts, local mushrooms and breadfruit. When Karen has time to spare, she'll still be doing her art, painting something in her shop, slowly and at ease. It all leads to an atmosphere that invites everyone to relax. "I really love to see how it all comes together so people have a good experience, e N���� S�������� A������ �������� �������. M�. E������� �������� �������. C����� B����� ���� �� F����. B��� ������ �������. K���� R���� EQUIPMENT: OWNER: " Karen says. SCR Kohala Coff ee Mill 5 8 55-3412 Akoni Pule Hwy, Hāwī, Hawaii Mon-Fri 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 808-889-5577