In mid-August, Hurricane Lala swept across Hawaii Island, bringing devastating winds and torrential rainfall to some of the nation’s most important coffee-growing regions. The storm arrived at the worst possible time: just as farmers were beginning their 2026 harvest season. For many growers in southern Hawaii, the damage has been substantial, with long-term consequences that could affect coffee availability and prices for shoppers nationwide.
The Scope of the Damage
As of late August, nearly 70 farmers and ranchers across Hawaii had reported more than 3.2 million dollars in losses across approximately 320 acres through official disaster response channels. Almost half of that damage occurred on Hawaii Island alone. Those figures have continued to grow as growers gain access to their properties and assess the full extent of the destruction.
The hardest-hit areas include Ka’u, Wood Valley, and Miloli’i, where coffee farms experienced devastating losses. Some growers farther north around Holualoa lost 20 percent or more of their coffee trees when larger trees toppled onto coffee plantings. At Miranda’s Farms in Ka’u, hundreds of trees were either uprooted, crushed, or stripped of both limbs and cherries across the family’s roughly 80 acres. At A Coffee Farm in Pahala, owners reported thousands of trees down or washed away, with roughly half the trees lost at one location, mostly younger plantings that would have taken years to mature.
Why the Timing Made Things Worse
Hurricane Lala struck during harvest season, the most critical period for coffee growers’ annual finances and operations. According to Hawaii-based coffee consultant Shawn Steiman, the storm caused specific damage patterns that will have lasting effects. Ripe cherries, which are easier to remove from branches, were stripped away by winds. Seedlings were uprooted or washed out entirely. Even worse, many farmers lost access to their farms because roads and bridges washed out and water systems were damaged, making it impossible to work for weeks.
The long-term implications are serious. Trees that lost 10 percent of their plantings face years of reduced production. Mature trees that experienced significant defoliation will struggle with photosynthesis and reduced fruit production for months or years to come. For an industry built on consistent, quality supply, these losses ripple forward.
Help Available for Growers
Federal and state relief efforts are underway to support affected farmers. President Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Hawaii County and surrounding areas, authorizing Federal Emergency Management Agency support. More directly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers several programs designed to help coffee growers recover.
The USDA Tree Assistance Program helps commercial growers replace or rehabilitate perennial crop trees damaged by natural disasters. Applications must generally be filed within 90 days. The Emergency Conservation Program can pay for restoring farmland damaged by floods and hurricanes, covering up to 75 percent of approved costs for debris removal, land reshaping, fence repair, and water-conservation restoration.
Growers have been urged to thoroughly document all damage with photographs of roads, buildings, equipment, trees, and fallen cherries. The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources created a dedicated Post-Hurricane Lala resource guide for affected growers, including specific instructions for accessing USDA programs and contacts for the Farm Service Agency.
What This Means for Your Coffee
The immediate question for coffee shoppers is whether this disaster will affect what you find on store shelves or online. Steiman noted that green coffee buyers and roasters can support recovery by simply inquiring about available green coffee supplies. Farmers desperate for cash recovery will want to sell whatever they can salvage. However, the timing of the harvest loss means some coffee operations had to pause roasting and shipping operations entirely until power and transportation infrastructure could be restored.
Long-term, these losses could create supply pressures that ripple through the coffee market. If you enjoy quality coffee beans for every brewing method, understanding where your coffee comes from matters. Hawaii produces a small but significant portion of the nation’s specialty coffee, and disruptions to that supply can affect both availability and pricing across the broader market.
Steiman emphasized that meaningful support for Hawaii’s coffee industry requires commitment beyond the immediate disaster response. He noted that buyers and consumers willing to maintain interest in Hawaiian coffee across the multi-year recovery period will make the biggest difference. This could mean seeking out organic coffee options from Hawaiian growers as they rebuild, or simply staying informed about the industry’s recovery progress.
As Hawaii’s coffee farmers face years of rebuilding damaged infrastructure, replanting trees, and restoring lost production capacity, the choices shoppers make about where they source their coffee can support the recovery. Understanding that your morning cup represents not just a product but the resilience of growers facing real hardship adds important context to the coffee you purchase.
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