Kona Coffee Council Awards Gold Medal to Lyman Kona Coffee

Meticulous Care in Growing and Processing Wins Organic Coffee Farm Hawaiian Growers Highest Honor

Kailua-Kona, HI - April 14, 2011 -- Nestled on the Hualalai volcano slope on the Big Island, Lyman Kona Coffee Farms goes about quietly producing one of the world's best Kona coffees using only certified organic methods, meticulous handling, and sustainable farming techniques. At their recent Cream of the Crop festival last November, the KCC held a cupping competition and awarded Lyman Farms their Gold Medal (they won 2 Silver Medals in previous years). The cupping competition is held annually in Kona, judged by a group of Chefs and is similar to a wine-tasting where judges select the very best. The award is the culmination of years of effort, attention to detail and planning by the owners.

The coffee plantation is owned and operated by Marsha Lyman-Eckert and her husband Hans Eckert a retired professor. Together they have built a sustainable coffee farm, free of poisons, pesticides and herbicides. The farm features solar powered processing equipment, two irrigation systems and a process Certified 100% Organic from seed to cup. Of the 750 or so Kona Coffee farms, only about 40 are that distinguished. "The focus at Lyman Kona Coffee is on quality and not quantity. We are hoping that this award helps get us noticed by the best chefs and the world's finest restaurants interested in serving their customers one of the best and most memorable cups of coffee" says Dr. Eckert.

Lyman Kona Coffee Farms is also one of only 50 or so that are "Certified Coffee Estates", by both Kona Coffee Council and by Kona Coffee Farmers Association. This certification indicates the coffee is Single Farm Origin Coffee or free of blends that decrease taste and quality. The certification means that one operator controls all phases of production.

Their award winning process starts with the picking. The owners bring on a local crew that is paid extra to select only the dark-red ripest cherries. Most farmers have a ratio of 5-6 pounds of coffee cherry to one pound of roasted. At Lyman Farms, 8 pounds of coffee cherry are used to produce one pound of roasted coffee. The Lyman farm uses more coffee cherry because their practice winnows so much out. The farm has over a dozen quality control steps to preserve what's best in Kona Coffee, and to advance only the top percent of beans to the next step. "Kona Coffee is not simply a Product. It is a Process. What and how you do it is crucial" says Eckert.

The farm's elevation of 2100' extends the season from August to July whereas low elevation coffee harvesting starts in August and is finished by February. This additional yield provides a year round consistency and allows extra harvests for the highly selective process to improve the quality. Combining the harvesting process with the perfect "terroir" for Kona's Arabica coffee yields the award winning taste. Nowhere else on earth does the distinctive volcanic soil mix with the ever-present Hawaiian sunshine, dowsing rain and temperature to create an environment so perfect for growing one of the world's most sophisticated coffees.

The Press, Food critics, Top Chefs, Coffee Houses and Fine Dining Restaurant Owners are invited to contact Lyman Kona Coffee farms for more information and to obtain a limited supply sample of the Gold Medal Winning Organic Kona Coffee.

For more information Contact:

Dr. Hans F. Eckert, owner/operator
Lyman Kona Coffee Farms
Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740

Phone: 808-325-0909 Fax: 808-325-0601
E-mail: Coffee@LymanKonaCoffee.com
Website: www.LymanKonaCoffee.com 



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