MEDIA RELEASE

Colehour Bondera, vice president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, has been appointed to the National Organic Standards Board.

With endorsements from Sen. Dan Inouye and former US Congressman and current candidate for Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, Bondera was selected to be one of 15 board members who set the National Standards for Organic Certification under the USDA. This volunteer Board position is for five years.

With Hawaii’s unique tropical growing environment and majority of small family farms, representation on the board will be beneficial to Hawaii’s organic farmers and processors.

As a member of the NOSB, Bondera hopes, “to work on opening up the standards to organic solutions to Coffee Berry Borer Beetle, varroa mite for our bees, and better fertilizer options.”

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is proud of its 100% Kona Coffee’s unique origin product and with many Kona Coffee farmers growing organically.

“This is an real honor for us to send our Association’s vice president to Washington, D.C.” president Bruce Corker said.

Bondera is also a Hawaii Island delegate to Terra Madre, the international Slow Food conference to be held next month and will be one of 5,000 small, organic farmers attending the conference where 100% Kona Coffee is a finalist in the Parmiggiano-Reggiano origin food of the year award.

Bondera and his family, farm 5.4 acres in Honaunau certified by Hawaii Organic Farmers Association. Their main crop is Kona coffee and they also grow avocados, vegetables and fruits for the Keauhou Farmers Market, as well as processing tropical fruit jams.

When asked what he would like to accomplish, Bondera said, “I will represent small and micro farmers on my island, in my state, in my nation and even internationally on the National Organic Standards Board.”

For further information, Bondera may be contacted at 640-1643 or email: colemel@kanalanifarm.org

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is a volunteer, non-profit, community-based organization of coffee farmers with the mission to promote and protect the economic interests of Kona coffee farmers who grow and sell 100% Kona coffee and to seek greater legal protection of the Kona coffee name.

— Find out more:
www.KonaCoffeeFarmers.org