Free McCafe for National Coffee Day, Sept. 29

McCafé. Photo by Wendy Osher.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Coffee Company are combining forces to celebrate National Coffee Day on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. Under the promotion, McDonald’s customers will get a free small cup of Royal Kona McCafé coffee with any purchase from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

“We’re excited to partner with Hawaiʻi Coffee Company to celebrate National Coffee Day in Hawaiʻi,” said Melanie Okazaki, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaiʻi regional marketing manager. “Only in Hawaiʻi will customers find the Royal Kona Blend, which features a bold and rich taste that our customers have come to know and love.”

Royal Kona Coffee is the largest processor of Kona coffee in Hawaiʻi and has been specializing in 100 percent Kona and Kona blends since 1968.

“We’ve been supporting local farmers for decades and are proud of that partnership,” says Daniel Dinell, Hawaiʻi Coffee Company president. “Recognizing National Coffee Day in Hawaiʻi for the first time rewards our loyal customers with a fresh cup of coffee and introduces others to our gourmet blends.”

This special offer highlights the unique beverage and its importance to Hawaiʻi. Coffee is a $19 billion industry in the United States, growing by 5% each year since 2009. Americans drank 38 billion liters of coffee in 2014, making it the third most consumed non-alcoholic drink in the country (soda is number 1 and bottled water is number 2).

Hawaiʻi is the only state in the nation that grows coffee. In 2013, Hawaiʻi produced 7 million pounds of green beans, which represents 0.4% of global production.

There are more than 800 coffee farmers across the state. A majority of them (60%) are small farmers typically harvesting less than 2 acres. Hawaiʻi’s farm revenue from coffee was estimated at $54.3 million for 2014, 4% more than the previous year.

“Coffee farming is a vital part of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural industry,” says Scott Enright, Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture chairman. “Despite setbacks due to pests and droughts, our local coffee farmers continue to produce some of the most sought after beans in the world.”