STAND. COM. REP. NO.2029

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2490

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2490 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COFFEE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand mandatory labeling requirements by requiring all Hawaii-grown coffee to be labeled with its origin.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Big Island Farm Bureau, Coffee Creations, Inc., Bad Ass Coffee, Co., Honaunau Coffee Company, Kona Coffee Council, Petersen Marketing, Schooler Farms of Hawaii, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co. Inc., Hawaii Coffee Association, Dragons Lair Kona Coffee Farm, Kauai Coffee Company, Inc., Kimo Bean Coffee Company Hawaii, Fike Farms of Hawaii, Ueshima Coffee Corp., Greenwell Farms, Inc., Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, Kona Farmers Alliance, and Hawaii Coffee Company.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii-grown coffee is world renown for its unique characteristics and flavors. Hawaii's coffee growers have established Hawaii-grown coffee as a premiere category in the coffee industry through large investments in technology, intelligent marketing, and utilization of Hawaii's talented work force. Moreover, strict labeling requirements for Kona Coffee have also contributed to protecting the uniqueness of Hawaii-grown coffee.

As the coffee market grows, additional Hawaii-grown coffee makers are establishing strong geographic brands similar to Kona Coffee. This measure further promotes Hawaii's coffee industry by protecting the unique identity of all Hawaii-grown coffee regardless of geographic origin.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2490, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2490, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

____________________________

JAN YAGI BUEN, Chair