Voice of Stephanie Salazar

Ka’u is gearing up for the third annual Ka’u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 14th.

Organizers are inviting the public to come down to Pahala to enjoy top entertainment, local foods and culture, and visit coffee farms. Stay through Sunday, May 15 for coffee education, and agricultural tours.

Cyril Pahinui and Keoki Kahumoku are some of the entertainers already signed on to play.

There will also be a Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest.

More from the official media release:

FARMERS BREW UP KA‘U COFFEE FESTIVAL MAY 14 & 15

Ka‘u, Hawai‘i, Big Island (April 5, 2011) – Ka‘u coffee growers invite everyone to the southern slopes of Mauna Loa for the third annual Ka‘u Coffee Festival, Saturday, May 14. Feel the aloha of this rural community while tasting the celebrated Ka‘u brew. Enjoy top entertainment, local foods and culture, and visit coffee farms. Stay through Sunday, May 15 for coffee education, and agricultural tours.

Saturday, the Ka‘u Coffee Festival is open 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Pahala Community Center just off Hwy. 11 between Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Sample some of the world’s finest coffee, and savor entries in the Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest. Enjoy Hawaiian music, hula halau and the talents of Miss Ka‘u Coffee, Young Miss Ka‘u Coffee and Miss Ka‘u Peaberry pageant winners. The entertainment lineup includes Cyril Pahinui, Lorna and Maryann Lim, Moses and Keoki Kahumoku, Henry Dulan, Halau Hula O Leionalani, Lorie Lei Hula Studio and Ka‘u ‘Ukulele Kids.

Festival admission is free; entry to the Recipe Contest and Taste of Ka‘u tasting is $5. Locals will offer food, refreshments, crafts and coffee for sale. Farm tours are $10 throughout the day. On Sunday, learn from prominent industry experts at The Ka’u Coffee College, beginning at 9 a.m. These seminars are free; donations are appreciated.

Ka‘u ranks among the world’s best coffees, proven in four straight years of placing in the top dozen and earning a 2010 Coffee of the Year award at the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCAA) Roaster’s Guild International Cupping Competition. Also in 2010, Ka‘u captured the coveted Grand Champion of Hawaiian Coffee award and earned four out of the top 10 spots at the Hawaii Coffee Association’s annual statewide cupping event.

Ka‘u Coffee is cultivated on small family farms, handpicked and sun dried in small batches to yield the perfect cup. Ka‘u farmers invite everyone to experience their farms, and learn about the process of producing outstanding coffees.

Visitors can plan a getaway to Ka‘u and relax in historic cottages in Pahala, condos at Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, or in luxurious and affordable B&Bs.

Visit www.kaucoffeefestival.com for festival information and for more details and kaucoffeefestival.blogspot.com for festival updates and information on Ka‘u attractions. Follow the Ka‘u Coffee Festival on facebook and twitter @kaucoffeefest.