A new 15-year land lease has averted the possible closure of the Kauai Coffee Company farm in Hawaii, securing the future of the United States’ largest coffee estate and preserving roughly 140 jobs after months of uncertainty, according to announcements from both the company and landowner Brue Baukol Capital Partners on June 25, 2026, reported by Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Daily Coffee News.
The new agreement covers approximately 3,100 acres at 870 Halewili Road in Kalāheo on the island of Kauai, where more than 4 million coffee trees grow, according to Coffee Geography Magazine. The lease replaces a prior contract that expired on March 28, 2026, and ends month-to-month extensions that had kept operations running while the future of the farm was in doubt, Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
The farm, founded in 1989 by agricultural firm Alexander & Baldwin and sold to Italy-based Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group in 2011, has become the largest coffee farm by acreage in both Hawaii and the United States, according to a Star-Advertiser editorial. It produces between 10 and 12 million pounds of coffee cherries annually, which are processed into 1 to 2 million pounds of green coffee, The Coffee Post reported.
The new lease preserves approximately 140 jobs at the farm, a figure variously reported as 136, 140 or 141 positions, with radio outlet KPUA describing “roughly 140 jobs.” According to Daily Coffee News, all employees were retained, no layoffs occurred, and previously issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices were rescinded.
The WARN notices, first issued on January 12 and then again on March 5, stated that Kauai Coffee could be forced to cease operations because its lease would not be renewed, according to Coffee Geography Magazine and Daily Coffee News. In one notice quoted by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, attorneys for Kauai Coffee wrote that Brue Baukol Capital Partners “will not renew or extend Kauai Coffee Company LLC’s lease.”
Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Brue Baukol Capital Partners publicly countered that Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, which oversees Kauai Coffee, was choosing not to renew the lease, highlighting a disagreement over responsibility as tensions rose. During this period, operations continued under short-term extensions and the farm kept running normally, the newspaper reported.
When the long-term lease was finally announced, stakeholders emphasized the impact on jobs and the local community. “We are proud to say that our roots remain exactly where they belong, our team is entirely secure, and we are actively looking forward to bringing even more job opportunities to our local community as we grow,” Kauai Coffee General Manager Brian Kubicki said in comments reported by KPUA.
Matthew Smith, president of Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, said the agreement gives the farm stability. “By securing this long-term lease, we’re ensuring that the local operation has the stability and support it needs to thrive and continue growing the finest coffee in America,” he said, according to Aloha State Daily.
From the landlord’s perspective, the deal also locks in continued agricultural use of the land. “This agreement preserves local jobs, keeps these lands in productive agricultural use, and creates new opportunities to explore additional agricultural activities and community benefits in the years ahead,” Brue Baukol Capital Partners vice president James Priestley said, as quoted by Coffee Geography Magazine. The 3,100-acre farm is designated Important Agricultural Land under Hawaii state law, according to Daily Coffee News.
Local officials framed the outcome as a community win after weeks of concern from residents, union representatives and visitors, reported by KPUA and Beat of Hawaii. Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami said in a statement that the lease “is not only an iconic part of our island’s agricultural heritage, but also an important source of local jobs and economic opportunity,” according to Aloha State Daily.
Looking ahead, Kauai Coffee plans strategic investments in farming technology, machinery and visitor experiences, and expects future hiring in skilled trades and hospitality, according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Beat of Hawaii. Brue Baukol Capital Partners will meanwhile evaluate additional agricultural opportunities on portions of the 3,100-acre property not currently under coffee cultivation, Aloha State Daily and Daily Coffee News reported.
