Established in 2017, Kona Coffee Roasters is the only coffee shop that brings Hawaii’s premium Kona coffee to New York City. In 2017, Kona Coffee Roasters was founded by Tae Kim. Born and raised in O’ahu, Hawaii, Tae and his family started a restaurant, where he fell in love with the food & beverage industry. When he moved to NYC, he missed the easy-going and slow lifestyle of his hometown, and the coffee that he grew up drinking. In his efforts to bring a piece of the Big Island to New York City, Kona Coffee & Company was born– founded on the philosophy that a great cafe isn’t just a place to enjoy high-quality brews, but a space where New Yorkers from all walks of life can connect and unwind from their busy lives with a cup of coffee.

Kona Coffee is one of the rarest and most expensive coffee beans in the world. Kona Coffee is cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Its rich volcanic soil and afternoon cloud cover produce one of the most pleasing and aromatic coffee beans, that is hard to replicate in any other environment. We’ve tried and tasted coffee from many different Kona farms, to ultimately choose a farm that matches the values and taste we want to bring to NYC. Over the past few years, we’ve closely partnered with our coffee farmers to ensure quality and consistency. And every month, our coffee is flown out from Hawaii to our doorsteps in East Village, NYC. They say, that for each coffee bean, at least 100 hands have touched it. That’s a huge shout out to the farmers of Hawaii, who plant, grow, harvest, and wash each bean, that enables us to enjoy a cup of coffee. Here at Kona Coffee, we’re dedicated to supporting and uplifting our farmers in their part of the coffee story, through fair trade and direct sourcing.