Our Moloka‘i trees are rooted in the vivid red earth of the central island's upper slopes. Kualapu'u is the traditional name for this area—"sweet potato hill." The sweet potato ('uala) is a staple food of Hawaiian culture, grown just about everywhere that the land was too dry to support taro (kalo). So the name suggests that this land has been fertile farm country for a long, long time.

Anyone who knows Hawai‘i well will tell you that there's something very different, very special about Moloka‘i. Always has been.

Legends tell us that the people here were skilled in sorcery, magic spells—call it, harnessing the power of prayer. You didn't mess with Moloka‘i. The people were known to be both fierce and ingenious. This is the island where hula originated. And here you see the remains of one of the most amazing civil engineering projects of pre-contact Polynesia—dozens of submerged stone aquaculture pens that run along the southeast shoreline. The largest of these, Keawanui, encloses 55 acres of shallow seawater by means of a 2,000-foot-long wall.

Today a spirit of independence and rugged individualism still prevails. The percentage of native Hawaiians is far higher here than on the other islands. People here tend to resist modernization. People live outdoors a lot—hunt, fish, farm. Visitors are welcome, but they don't find much in the way of tourist attractions. There isn't a traffic light on the island. No building taller than a coconut tree.

A lot of nothing, some would say, especially after sunset—thicker darkness than most people have ever seen, more stars than most people ever suspected are in the sky, more silence than you've ever heard.

There's a lot of power in such a place. We happen to think that a lot of these Moloka‘i qualities are present in our beans, and we talk about them with that assumption. Scoff if you want. But that's how you get when you live on Moloka‘i.

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Independence. Originality. Spiritual power.

From ancient times, Moloka‘i has been known as place of great spiritual vigor. The old legends claim that the people of Moloka‘i repelled invading armies simply by harnessing the power of prayer. The island continues this tradition of quiet self-reliance by resisting not armies but urban modernism. (Not one traffic light on Moloka‘i!) "Malu" means shade, shelter, and inner stillness. "Lani" refers to the celestial realm.

The Malulani flavor results from our original "washed arabica" process, which brings out the natural acidity of these 100% Moloka‘i-grown beans. Then a gentle roasting releases subtle, resonating essences unique to the soil of Moloka‘i.

When the trade winds get squeezed in between the high peaks of the Hawaiian islands, they howl and thrash the sea channels. Moloka‘i faces three of these wild channels. Looking east to Maui—Pailolo. Looking south to Lana‘i—Kalohi. Looking west to O‘ahu—Kaiwi. Old-days Hawaiians crossed these channels not in jets but in canoes. They used hand-hewn tree trunks, vine lashings, bark sails, powerful muscles, and raw courage. For today's canoe clubs, little has changed.

This Moloka‘i-grown espresso, made from fine arabica beans and roasted to a state of perfect intensity, matches (we think) the power of those tough-living adventurers.

The North Shore of Moloka‘i is an extreme landscape—cliffs that plunge more than 2,000 feet into the crashing sea. At the bottom of these cliffs, a small peninsula juts like a note thrust under a door. Only the most courageous of souls know this peninsula and the switchback trail that connects it with "topside" Moloka‘i. For generations now, Hawaiian muleskinners have traversed this terrain on the backs of their sharp-witted, sure-footed mules.

A natural-dried, dark-roasted bean that's 100% Moloka‘i grown, our original Muleskinner coffee is named for the landscape whose essence it bears.

Hula captures the essence of all that is Hawai‘i. It echoes the forms of nature—specific winds and mists, peaks and seas. It also preserves the skills and history of the Hawaiian people. This art form (they say) began here on Moloka‘i, on a sacred hill known as Pu‘u Nana. From here it spread throughout the islands, and it continues to lead Hawaiian culture into the future.

"Essence" is the word for this 100% Moloka‘i arabica coffee, to which we've added a graceful dash of premium Polynesian vanilla bean—dedicated to all who follow the spirit of the hula.

Giving back

We support the revitalization of both culture and ecology in our home, the Hawaiian islands. That's why we donate one percent of revenues to this cause. Learn how you can make it happen.