Believers say Kona beverage works miracles

by Carolyn Lucas, West Hawaii Today, Monday, January 11, 2010

Tom Greenwell admits he sounds like an infomercial for KonaRed, a new wellness drink made from the ruby red coffee cherries cultivated in Kona. But the president of Greenwell Farms said he simply cannot deny the health benefits he has experienced since consuming the beverage on daily basis over the past year.

Besides feeling "more enlightened," "energetic" and "alert," Greenwell claims, in the past six months, he hasn't had to take anti-inflammatory pills for gout, which he typically suffers with once a month or when he eats shrimp. Nor has Greenwell reportedly had to wear a brace on his bad knee. Gone also is his usual sinus infection.

"It's just a great product, especially with its antioxidant and antiviral properties," he said. "I'm not the only one at Greenwell Farms who has experienced its positive effects. My wife, son, our tour guides and others in the business have used it. We think it's good and useful for people."

KonaRed principals at Sandwich Isles Trading Co. -- a joint venture between Maui-based Bioponic Phytoceuticals and Kauai-based Malie Inc. -- approached Greenwell in October 2008 about purchasing the coffee industry's often throw-away byproduct, the coffee cherry pulp. Since Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua has supplied dried coffee cherry pulp to the company, as well as sold its KonaRed products for $3.50 at the farm's retail store.

Malie co-founder Dana Roberts said Greenwell Farms is just one of the "prestigious family farms famous for their pristine growing conditions and certified organic cultivation" of Kona coffee that Sandwich Isles Trading Co. is working with. She would not name any other farms, but claimed the suppliers were in the Kona District, where the coffee cherries used to make KonaRed supposedly come from.

Roberts also refused to share how the preservation process of "the extremely perishable" coffee cherry pulp or how KonaRed is made because "that information is proprietary." However, she said its processing facilities are in close proximity to the growers, allowing ease of the participation in the harvest, the capture of the cherries at peak ripeness and the use of the cherries.

Roberts mentioned the importance of hydrosols, the concentrated liquid removed from a plant at peak ripeness and believed to deliver a blast of antioxidants. She said it takes approximately 15 pounds of coffee fruit to make 1 pound of "pure, rich, molasses-like liquid extract." KonaRed beverage is made from coffee fruit hydrosol liquid extract, cinnamon hydrosol extract, Maui sugar and water.

"It has an extraordinary level of polyphenols, anti-oxidants, with protective benefits to help us prevent disease, resist sun damage and delay aging by neutralizing free radicals," she said "It's the next super food."

KonaRed creators discovered once the coffee cherries are run through a pulper, the beans are separated from the pulp and the pulp is discarded. They foresaw a better use for the industry's waste. Roberts said it took nearly two years to create KonaRed, which is produced in four variations: whole powder, freeze dried powder, mesh powder and liquid concentrate.

"This has been a true team effort. We have a tremendous passion for sharing the healing properties of Hawaii's fora and fauna with the world. The whole coffee fruit is just one example," she said. "This incredible food and energy value of the whole coffee fruit has been understood by native peoples for centuries. Coffee fruit and seed were commonly used in tea, wine, medicine and food. It was known as 'the nectar of the gods.'"

Coffee pickers in South America have notice the skin of their hands is soft, supple and youthful despite working in the field's harsh conditions. They attributed this to the direct handling of coffee cherries. Malie Organics has recently released a anti-aging skincare collection using coffee fruit extract, Roberts said.

To prove that KonaRed has "extraordinary levels of polyhenols (antioxidants," it was test by Brunswick Laboratories, an independent contract laboratory providing analytical services in the chemical sciences. Brunswick Laboratories administered the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity test, used to determine how much antioxidant power a food has. KonaRed received an ORAC score of 47,100 per 100 grams, which is "significantly higher than any known plant product such as blueberries," Roberts said.

Besides Greenwell Farms, KonaRed beverages are available at the Maile boutique on Kauai, and Martin & MacArthur stores on Oahu and Maui.

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