While the summer travel season is well underway, one major airline is looking ahead to make enhancements for ski season. Delta Air Lines announced today it will operate their largest-ever flight schedule to popular ski destinations starting this year. The Atlanta-based carrier will operate a higher frequency or begin new service to the following popular ski destinations including: Aspen, Bozeman, Jackson Hole, Montrose/Telluride, Steamboat Springs, Sun Valley, and Vail. “With our latest winter schedule, customers have more choices than ever, with up to 190 weekly flights to places our customers want to fly to most, paired with the premium services and amenities our customers always enjoy,” Delta’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning Joe Esposito shared in a release about the new service. In Los Angeles, Delta will reintroduce daily flights to Bozeman, Montana, Vail, Colorado, and Saturday flights to Sun Valley, Idaho.
Why Your Hawaiian Coffee Will Soon Taste Better (And Probably Cost More)
28.05.2024 - 14:09 / forbes.com
A new bill will change the way Hawaiian coffee is labeled and sold.
Currently, a package of roasted coffee needs to contain just 10% Hawaiian coffee to use its geographic name in its marketing and branding.
For example, today, a package of coffee can be called "Kona Coffee" if it contains 10% Kona coffee and 90% foreign coffee.
However, a newly-passed rule, House Bill 2298, will increase that threshold to 51%.
Once the new law takes effect in July of 2027, anything called “Kona Coffee” will be required to contain 51% Kona coffee instead of the previous 10%.
Though Kona is used in the example above, the new rule applies to all coffee growing regions in Hawaiʻi, which include Kona, Kaʻū, Maui, Kauaʻi, and others. The rules apply to all roasted, instant, and ready-to-drink coffee.
The bill has been celebrated as a big win for Hawaiian coffee farmers and as long overdue, giving more value to Hawaiian coffee, re-establishing the quality of its brand, and protecting local interests.
Over the last three decades, “Kona coffee farmers have engaged in civil litigation against prominent coffee sellers who sold coffee bearing the Kona name but allegedly contained little or no Kona coffee,” writes Daily Coffee News. “A string of lawsuits has resulted in at least $33 million in settlements and $5.8 million in attorneys’ fees.”
“We’re one of the only geographies in the world that allows its geographic name to be used on products that are not 100% from that region,” said Joshua Montgomery of Guard Well Farm in the Kona coffee belt. “It’s like somebody putting a Mercedes-Benz seat in a Ford Fiesta and then selling it as a Mercedes. It’s dishonest, and it damages the brand.”
Representative Nicole Lowen drew an example by saying that you can’t buy a package of Georgia peaches that are only partially from Georgia, or a bag of Idaho potatoes that aren’t all from Idaho.
While the increased threshold could increase the quality of coffee blends sold under Hawaiian brands, how it will impact the pricing on the store shelf remains to be seen. Currently, blends are the most affordable way to purchase Hawaiian coffee.
As an example, a 4-ounce bag of 100% Kona coffee sells for $17.99, while a 7-ounce of 10% Kona coffee blend sells for $9.49.
Some opponents of the change said that it will increase the price of the basic blends, reduce consumer choice, and perhaps even reduce sales overall for coffee growers.
Because the current law requires the amount of Hawaiian-grown coffee in a blend to be disclosed on the package, no one is being deceived by the blends, said Naneki Astronomo of Menehune Coffee Co.
Attempts to further the bill and make the requirement 75% or even 100% did not gain traction.
The 51% rule will take effect July 1,
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