Updated
Five people, in Hawaii and Japan
Hawaii KAU Coffee runs on five people. John and Lori run the farm in the Ka’u district of Hawaii Island; Miyuki handles export and import; Masashi handles planning, promotion and operations in Japan; and Moani keeps the farm going. Here is what each of them does.
Members
John Ah San
Farm owner
Owner of Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate, the Hawaii KAU Coffee farm. In 1989 Senator Daniel Inouye personally entrusted him with developing a coffee farm in the Ka'u district, and he began growing coffee in earnest. Nicknamed the Coffee Doctor, he advises many coffee farms on Hawaii Island and takes ongoing requests from the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He brews with a French press.
Lori Ah San
Farm manager
Manager of Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate and John's daughter. As co-manager of the farm she looks after the quality of the Ka'u coffee. A lover of fashion, she is also the one who picks the team's matching outfits for official occasions such as photo shoots and webinars from the farm.
Miyuki Lee
Representative, Kayama LLC
Representative of Kayama LLC, the exclusive partner of Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate. She handles quarantine and export procedures for John's coffee on the Hawaii side and quarantine and import procedures on the Japan side. A member of the Rotary Club of Hilo Bay for seven years, she has contributed to the local community through its activities and volunteer work. She is one of the writers of our farm blog, and Kayama LLC is also advancing its research into making cascara tea.
Masashi Yamazaki
Representative, M.G.K. Inc.
Representative of M.G.K. Inc., which handles planning, promotion and day-to-day operations for Hawaii KAU Coffee in Japan. He specializes in producing products from concept through promotion, with a track record that includes producing a natural mineral water for a major beverage maker and managing the Japanese launch of an overseas health supplement. He used to drink only sweet coffee until Ka'u coffee won him over to black.
Moani
Farm staff
A member of the Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate staff and the farm's hardest worker. As John's right hand she keeps the farm running with a constant smile and small kindnesses, such as bringing a home-cooked lunch to the office kitchen before work, or the time she decorated the table with flowers for an online meeting held from the farm.
The four of us
From left, Masashi Yamazaki (M.G.K. Inc.), John Ah San (farm owner), Lori Ah San (farm manager) and Miyuki Lee (Kayama LLC).
Read more about the members (farm blog, in Japanese)
The companies and the timeline
Who does what
| Name | Role | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| John Ah San | Farm owner. Has grown coffee in Ka’u since 1989 | Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate |
| Lori Ah San | Farm manager and co-manager of the estate. Looks after quality | Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate |
| Miyuki Lee | Representative of Kayama LLC. Quarantine and export on the Hawaii side, quarantine and import on the Japan side | Kayama LLC |
| Masashi Yamazaki | Representative of M.G.K. Inc. Planning, promotion and operations in Japan | M.G.K. Inc. |
| Moani | Farm staff. The farm’s hardest worker | Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate |
John is known as the Coffee Doctor. Besides advising many coffee farms on Hawaii Island, he takes ongoing requests from the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Miyuki has been a member of the Rotary Club of Hilo Bay for seven years and has contributed to the community through its activities and volunteer work. Masashi used to drink only sweet coffee until Ka’u coffee won him over to black.