Seed to Cup

A caffeine fun filled, action packed day of learning everything about coffee from soil, seeds, processing, roasting, brewing, tasting, cooking and more.

The event is free and open to the public!

9:00 am – 9:30 am – Opening, Blessing and Music
Coffee purchases and tastings by Maui’s Coffee Farmers all day long

9:30 – 10:30 – Coffee Classes
Join us for a demonstration of how to professionally evaluate coffee! Quality Grader Makiko Nukui will lead you in a sensory experience outlining the process of coffee analysis. Explore the industry-standard approach to tasting coffee that’s used throughout the world! You’ll leave with some free samples and a greater understanding of how specialty coffees are determined.

10:30 – 11:30 – Taste the Roast – Sponsored by Maui Grown Coffee Company
This event is intended to shed light on the many talented roasting companies on Maui whileb eing interactive, educational and fun. Each roaster will roast the same Maui Coffee provide by Maui Grown Coffee in Kaanapali. Each roaster will present their best roast profile and each coffee will be brewed and showcased at the workshop. The coffees will be set side by side and sampled by the public with instructions from Ancil Clancy, Q-Grader as well as David Gridley, Owner of A Better Cup. The public will vote for their favorite roast.

11:30 – Coffee Inspired Food Available for Purchase at Chef’s Table
Food will be a available throughout the day with offerings from Merienda Maui Food Truck. Merienda serves up refined roadside eclectic Filipino pan Asian cuisine. Choose from: Roasted Pork Belly, Okonomiyaki Brussel Sprouts, Taiwanese Style Salt & Pepper Chicken, Unami Fried, Pork spring roll salad & Ube Horchata. All dishes using some sort of Maui coffee. There will also be a special menu served at the Mill House by Café o Lei all day long. Lunch available from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.

12:00 pm – 12:15 pm – Zen shin Daiko Drummers
The Maui Coffee Association will once again be bringing back the ever talented Maui Daiko!
They were established in 1996, a non-profit organized to perpetuate traditional Japanese folk songs and dances of the Buddhist O-Bon festival and to promote taiko (Japanese drumming) music. Maui Daiko plays the traditional Japanese folk song, Fukushima Ondo, at many O-Bon festivals and cultural events on Maui and seeks to perpetuate the song for future generations.
The group continues to work toward elevating their artistry in taiko and sharing it with the community. Come check them out, from 12:00 – 12:15 at the Center Lawn.

1:00 pm – Mocktail Coffee Demonstration & Free Recipes
Enjoy a 20-minute mixology demo using coffee hosted by the creative staff at Mala Ocean Tavern! The Mocktails will be dry, however the printed recipes will reflect the addition.

1:30 – 3:00 pm – Barista Throwdown, Sponsored by Akamai Coffee Company
This event was created in 2017 to bridge the gap between farmers and baristas and to promote independent local coffee shops on Maui. We wanted to create a space for all barista’s in Hawaii to come together and celebrate their craft. The MCA also wanted to elevate the skill level of local barista’s and raise the public’s awareness of and interest in the specialty coffee industry on Maui. Past BTD Hosts have been the Mill House Roasting Company, Maui Coffee Roasters and Old Lahaina Coffee Company. This year, the event is hosted by the dynamic team from Akamai Coffee Co.

The BTD is a free pour latte art competition using the crema/milk design to create symmetry. Judging will be based on difficulty of degree. No utensils can be used. The BTD is open to 16 contestants and is a single elimination bracket system. There is no entry fee, just awesome prizes for the contestants provided by Maui Coffee related businesses.

Barista Throwdown Signup Form

Trade show booths will be splashed throughout the village at the Plantation.

Farmers and Vendors attending this year include:
1. Maui Coffee Association and Kupa’a Farms (shared booth)
2. College of Tropical Agriculture
3. Maui Coffee Academy at MCC
4. Maui Grown Coffee, Kaanapali
5. Maui Coffee Roasters
6. Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co.
7. Maui Mountain Coffee
8. Olinda Organic Farms
9. Bad Ass Coffee Company
10. Lokelani Burlap Bags
11. Mokulele Airlines
12. BMW of Maui
13. Aina Brands
14. Maui Coffee Academy

2023 – MUSICAL LINEUP
9:30-10:00 Namaka Pauole
10:05-10:15 Lei’ohu Ryder – Hawaiian Blessing
10:20-11:00 CJ Boom Helekahi
11:10 -12:00 Kevin Brown & Hula
12-12:20 Zenshin Daiko Drummers
12:30-1:15 Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Band
1:20-2:00 Larry Dupio & Benny Uyetake – Blues Braddas
2:10-2:50 Lahela Lee Park
3:00- 3:30 Ahumanu

Brought to you by the Maui Coffee Association and Sponsored in part by:
• County of Maui, Office of Economic Development
• Maui County Farm Bureau
• Aina Coffee
• Akamai Coffee Co.
• Bad Ass Coffee Co.
• BMW of Maui
• Mala Ocean Tavern
• Maui Coffee Roasters
• Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co
• Maui Tropical Plantation
• Mokulele Airlines