Andrew Coe's Pono Collective Hawai'i Coffee Education Recap

What was your personal favorite part or experience?

I love seeing all parts of the coffee industry. I think visiting the farms and seeing the entire process and just understanding how much hard work goes into producing excellent coffee and helping other people understand as well has been my favorite part of the weekend.

What was your main takeaway for the students?

The main takeaway for the students was understanding how once the coffee has been processed on the farm - what are the steps it takes to the roastery and how does it get roasted and where does it go from there.

Why is it important to educate and show the origin of coffee?

I think it is super important to educate because coffee involves a lot of labor especially really high quality coffee. Honestly we probably don't pay enough for all the labor that goes into coffee. I feel like coffee is still under valued for the amount of work that it takes to produce an excellent cup. So understanding all the work from the farm, to the roastery, and to the cafe, and all the steps and hands in between is really important.

What did you think of your participation as a Pono Collective teacher and your impact on the culinary students?

Well my hope is that just seeing one person's experience will be motivating and hopefully help them set goals that may have been beyond what they have imagined. For me personally, getting into the coffee industry has been super rewarding. I'm hoping that people will see that passion and help motivate their careers as well.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks so much for having me here and it's been a great weekend.