Farm to Cup, On-Chain: Blockchain & Transparency for Hawaiʻi Coffee
📅 Hosted by Pūpūkahi Tech Foundation at Pacific Coffee Research – Saturday, October 17 11 am – 12 pm
This is a FREE EVENT! Registration is appreciated for preparation. Coffee and snacks will be provided.
Where did this coffee really come from? For Hawaiʻi, that question is worth a lot. Hawaiʻi-grown coffee is among the most valuable in the world, and that premium has long made it a target for counterfeiters. Counterfeit coffee drives down prices, dilutes hard-earned regional reputations, and leaves consumers unsure who to trust.
The state is fighting back. Updated labeling laws have raised the minimum Hawaiʻi-grown content for blends carrying a Hawaiʻi origin name from 10% to 51% and require labels to disclose where the coffee was grown. In 2025, the Legislature closed a key loophole by extending the false-labeling offense to roasted coffee, where most counterfeiting actually happens. It also added a mandatory minimum fine and made each act of false labeling a separate offense. Stronger laws raise the question of how farmers, processors, and roasters can prove where their coffee came from.
In this lecture, the team from Pūpūkahi Tech Foundation will introduce blockchain technology in plain language and explore how it can create a tamper-proof record that follows coffee from seed to cup. We’ll look at how each hand-off in the supply chain, from harvest, pulping, and drying to milling, roasting, and packaging, can be logged and verified. We’ll also talk about what this could mean for protecting origin claims, supporting compliance with Hawaiʻi’s new labeling laws, and telling your farm’s story to customers who want to know exactly what they’re buying. You’ll also get a look at real Hawaiʻi coffee traceability projects Pūpūkahi Tech has helped develop, and time for open Q&A.
Following the one-hour lecture, we’ll head outside for a 30-minute tour of the farm at Pacific Coffee Research, connecting the ideas from the classroom to the real steps coffee takes on its journey from tree to bag.
No technical background is required. This free event is designed for farmers, processors, and roasters who want to protect the value of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee and learn how emerging technology could strengthen trust across our local coffee industry.
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