Kona Coffee Farmers Association Movie Controversy

An issue has arisen with the KCFA DVD that I need to share with you, our members.

We have received a letter from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture which "directs the KCFA to remove the Get Real! DVD from any and all distribution and cease its use in the promotion of 100% Kona Coffee".

They now state that "The DVD is not consistent with the HDOA mission to locally, nationally, and internationally promote a positive image of all of Hawaii's agriculture."

They are of course referring to the fact that the KCFA DVD asks people to buy only 100% Kona, and specifically alerts them to look at the labels to make sure they are not getting a 10% blend by mistake. The KCFA DVD pans across a publicly sold selection of 10% Kona blend packages of many different companies (all that were on offer at Long's Drugs on one day). The KCFA does not acknowledge that a product of 90% foreign coffee is "Hawaiian agriculture".

This "cease and desist" directive needs to be responded to, as the implications could be widespread, not just in that we, in collaboration with the HDoA, spent a lot of money to have a DVD for sale and for promotion of 100% Kona coffee, but in that the DVD is now in wide circulation, having been sold to members, sent free to coffee customers, handed out to press, shown at our events, etc., including being shown on YouTube since early February.

Copies of the DVD and request for payment of the grant monies were submitted in November 2007. Approval of the DVD and payment of the grant monies by HDoA was made in December. Bulk copies of the DVD arrived in early January and distribution commenced. The directive to cease and desist is dated February 22, 2008.

As Sandra, our Grant Committee chairperson, reported to the February Board Meeting, she had heard from the HDoA informally in mid-February that the HDoA now had concerns, and in the spirit of cooperation voluntarily ceased all distribution of the DVD and has been discussing with the Market Development Branch there how we can make changes to the DVD so that it will be acceptable to them (by re-shooting, for example, scenes of real 10% Kona blend packages with generic brown bags saying 10% Kona blend). However the HDoA chose to ignore our offers, and instead sent us the "cease and desist" letter.

I will be calling a Special Board Meeting to determine how to respond to this letter. Current KCFA members are welcome to attend, and I will send out a notice as soon as the time and place has been determined.

If you have not yet seen the KCFA DVD, (in the spirit of cooperation we continue to not distribute it at this time), to inform yourselves, you may view it in the public domain at YouTube

aloha
Bruce Corker - President KCFA
corkclan@msn.com

Robert's note: KCFA is not distributing the movie, but we are so here it is: