Updated
Three companies, one brand
Hawaii KAU Coffee is run by three companies: the farm (Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate), the export and import partner (Kayama LLC), and the distributor in Japan (M.G.K. Inc.). This website is operated by M.G.K. Inc.
M.G.K. Inc. (our distributor in Japan and the operator of this site)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company name | M.G.K. Inc. (株式会社エム・ジー・ケイ) |
| Representative | Masashi Yamazaki |
| Founded | October 5, 2017 |
| Address | 〒542-0081 大阪府大阪市中央区南船場3-11-10 心斎橋大陽ビル B1階 (Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0081, Japan) |
| Phone | +81-50-3636-0223 |
| Role in this brand | Planning, promotion and day-to-day operations for Ka'u coffee in Japan, and operation of this website |
| Contact | https://hawaii-kau.com/en/contact-us/ |
Company details follow the company profile on the M.G.K. Inc. website (https://mgkinc.co.jp/company/, in Japanese). The address is shown in Japanese as it appears there.
Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate (the farm)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate (the Hawaii KAU Coffee farm) |
| Owner | John Ah San |
| Manager | Lori Ah San |
| Address | P.O. Box 503 Pahala, HI 96777, USA (Pahala, Ka'u district, Hawaii Island) |
| Phone | 1-808-928-8188 |
| Role | Growing and processing Ka'u coffee |
Inquiries about Hawaii KAU Coffee, including wholesale and import, are handled through the M.G.K. Inc. inquiry form rather than by the farm.
Kayama LLC (export and import)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kayama LLC |
| Representative | Miyuki Lee |
| Address | 15-647 Kahakai Blvd. Pahoa, HI 96778, USA |
| Phone | 1-808-345-3680 |
| Role | Exclusive partner of the estate. Quarantine and export procedures on the Hawaii side, and quarantine and import procedures on the Japan side |
Inquiries about Hawaii KAU Coffee are handled through the M.G.K. Inc. inquiry form rather than by Kayama LLC.
Timeline
- 1989
- Daniel Inouye, then a U.S. senator, personally entrusts John Ah San with developing a coffee farm in the Ka’u district of Hawaii Island. Inspired by the coffee growing that was already thriving in Kona, John starts a coffee farm on former sugarcane land, and coffee farming as an industry is born in Ka’u.
- 2017
- Kayama LLC exhibits for the first time at Foodex Japan, the food and beverage trade show at Makuhari Messe, in a booth connected with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. For four days John hands out cups of Ka’u coffee he brewed himself.
- October 2017
- M.G.K. Inc. is founded (October 5).
- August 2020
- Sales begin in Japan under the Hawaii KAU Coffee brand, with the motto of changing what people expect from black coffee.
- October 2020
- Approved for the Hawaii Seal of Quality, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s quality certification program.
- April 2025
- Hawaii KAU Coffee roasted beans (200 g, Extra Fancy) become a Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) gift of Shinjuku City, Tokyo. Adopted on March 7 and offered from April 1.
Contact and wholesale
What each company does
| Company | Role | People |
|---|---|---|
| Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate | Growing and processing Ka’u coffee (Ka’u district, Hawaii Island) | John Ah San (owner), Lori Ah San (manager) |
| Kayama LLC | Quarantine, export and import procedures (Pahoa, Hawaii Island) | Miyuki Lee (representative) |
| M.G.K. Inc. | Planning, promotion and operations in Japan, and operation of this website (Chuo-ku, Osaka) | Masashi Yamazaki (representative) |
The events in the timeline are covered in more detail in Hawaii Seal of Quality, in our farm blog post on Foodex Japan 2017 (Japanese), and on the Furusato Nozei page (Japanese).