Check out what the Women’s Quest staff is doing in their free time on the Big Island of Hawaii:
Wahine Farms 100% Kona Coffee, Big Island, Hawai’i:
Wahine Farms was founded by two Wahine (Women) professional cyclists whose love for robust coffee turned into a passion for producing some of the finest coffee on the planet. Mary and Shonny both raced mountain bikes on the professional mountain bike circuit – Mary from 1995 – 1999, Shonny from 1999 – 2007.
On a winter bike training trip to Hawaii in 2005 they found a small coffee farm in South Kona for sale and thus, Wahine Farms was born. After three years of pruning and rehabbing coffee trees the first crop of 100% Kona Coffee is finally available at www.wahinefarms.com. Check out the Kona Kruiser Dark Roast!
When they are not picking, processing, and roasting coffee…Shonny can be found training full-time for the Xterra Off-Road triathlon series as a member of the LunaChix Pro Team, and Mary spends her days coaching and teaching mountain bike clinics, and dabbling in real estate development. www.wahinefarms.com to order
Here is a bit about Kona Coffee…
For those of you who don’t know, or are not coffee drinkers, Kona, Hawaii is one of the premier coffee growing regions in the world, and subsequently produces some of the finest (read: pricey) and most desired coffee capturing from $25 to $35 per pound! Here is a quick and dirty breakdown of what goes into that primo cup-o-joe…..
A coffee orchard requires three to fours years of maintenance before a significant crop can be harvested. Coffee trees typically bloom in the late winter to early spring, with harvesting occurring in the fall through late winter. Mature coffee beans form into clusters of red berries, referred to as “coffee cherry”. Harvesting is all done by hand- , often times on steep, rocky slopes- and can be quite demanding.
Coffee cherry must be ‘pulped’ the day it is picked at a pulping mill to remove the outside layer from the beans. After pulping, these beans are referred to as parchment and are then washed and dried in the sun for 5 to 7 days.
After 30 days of ‘rest’ in the parchment stage the coffee is milled and the parchment skin is removed. The coffee beans are then in the ‘green bean’ stage and ready for roasting.
The roasting process is carefully monitored to ensure the highest quality cup of Kona coffee.
Phwew……plenty of ‘aloha’ has gone into these beans! Thanks for reading and check it out at: www.wahinefarms.com
Aloha, Mary
fun-loving fellow women to share the experience in a pressure-free, non-competitive environment. We propose a recipe for unparalleled relaxation, recharging, and rejuvenation for the mind, body and spirit, combining daily yoga and surfing, spiced with long beach walks, excellent fresh cuisine, massage, time for camaraderie and sharing including inspirational talks and our unique, powerful, Heart's Desire process.
Ciao Bellas, 
