June Newsletter

Late May and early June were extremely busy here on Guard Well Farm.  We got our coffee in shape, launched our first subscription service and started planning for the fall.

With regular fertilization the coffee is finally starting to look like it is planted on a production farm instead of in a jungle.When we moved in there was only ¼ acre of coffee planted and it had been neglected for some time.  Over the past year we’ve done tons of pruning and have made a huge effort to clear weeds and plant new ground cover. 

 We’ve also obtained some starter trays of a variety called Progeny-502 and put them into tree sleeves.

We learned a lesson when we made the move.  The starter trays of 502 were full of very loose potting soil which was robust and healthy.  When we moved them into the tree sleeves we used macadamia nut compost, but didn’t put in any peat or sand to loosen up the soil.  Turns out this was a mistake.  The compost compacted and, because it rains every day, got incredibly wet.  The 502 started to yellow and the leaves took on an unhealthy appearance.

After doing some reading and checking the soil for nutrient and PH, we finally decided to re-plant the coffee into a looser soil.  Bingo, the plants came right back and are growing well.  

It’s a good thing, because we’re planning on planting more than 500 of them in the field next year and they need to be big and strong when we do that.

Subscription Coffee

We also launched our subscription coffee service this month by sending out samples to a few dozen friends and family.  Our goal was to get feedback on our brand and to give folks the opportunity to subscribe before we start marketing to the general public.  After all, we have a limited supply.

So far feedback has been very positive.  People really enjoyed the coffee we sent and we’ve been blessed with several early subscribers.

A special thanks to all of the folks who subscribed, sent feedback and are following along on our journey.

Planning for Fall Travelers

In addition to running the coffee farm, we’ve built a great tiny home which we’re listing on AirBnB.  This summer we had a couple of startup interns staying with us, but starting in September we’re going to be putting it back on AirBnB.

If you’re feeling locked up and imprisoned by Covid and want to get away this fall, consider booking with us here in Hawaii ( http://airbnb.com/h/holualoatiny ).  We’d love to have you out for sunset on the farm.

With Aloha,
Josh, Kris, Audrey & Mo
Guard Well Farm
75-1097 Keopu Mauka Dr.
Holualoa, HI 96725
http://guardwellfarm.com