If you picture the dream life, owning a craft brewery on Hawaii’s Big Island would not be too far away from many people’s minds. Founded in 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, Kona Brewing Company is almost exactly what you have pictured in your head. Whether you would put up with being called Spoon for the dream life is another story…
The founders had a vision to create a brand and product which truly represented the spirit, vibrancy, culture and beauty of Hawaii, and over the last twenty-five years they have been incredibly successful at doing just that. Today, the brand is not only one of the best-selling craft beers globally, but the morals and community focus of the Hawaiian brewery are still as evident as they have ever been.
Kona is famous for its vibrant and colourful bottle designs, with every beer that is produced having a story behind it. Many are named after Hawaiian landmarks, such as their Wailua Wheat beer name after Wailua Falls.
Kona Brewing Co has been big on sustainable business practice before it was commercially beneficial to be. The brewery is partially run on solar power, with 990 panels hosted on the breweries roof generating 10 megawatt hours of power a month, which is equivalent to over half of its energy needs.
On top of this, the wastewater produced in the beer process is recycled to keep the on-site gardens hydrated. Even the leftover grains are used to make pizza at their own brewpub.
There is one last bit of good news as well. When your partner tells you that there is no need to go to Kona as it is on the shelf of the supermarket down the road, they also offer a selection of Hawaii only brews. With an IPA, porter, blonde ale and wheat beer only available in their own brewpubs and a couple of other locations in Hawaii, it looks like the trip is back on…