King Willow's Adriatic conquest

"Historic UK-Croatia links.. quick, tell the UK Foreign Office!" - Brian

By Alex Kirby
BBC News Online environment correspondent



The Adriatic tourist trade is picking up again
You might not suppose a small island in the central Adriatic would have had much to do with Britain. I didn't, and I kept finding out how wrong I was.

Vis, nearly thirty miles south of Split off the coast of Dalmatia, has had an interesting half century. It was where Tito made his headquarters in World War II: soon afterwards, he seized control of Yugoslavia, which he ruled autocratically until his death in 1980.

From his assumption of power almost until Croatia became independent in 1991, Vis was out of bounds to most Yugoslavs, a military reserve with an isolated civilian population.

Today, apart from a litter of deserted barracks and abandoned tunnels, Vis is doing quite well out of its long quarantine.

Those people who stayed are fairly cheerful, though there are few jobs, most of them in fishing. But many have decamped to the mainland or headed abroad.

Lotus eaters

Birds and marine life survive in greater numbers than on many more accessible islands, and there is no sign yet of pell-mell tourist development, though everyone recognises the potential for it.

Every prospect pleases on Vis - for now
At the moment, Vis is still laid-back and heedless of time. Zoran, a former journalist, invited me on a half-hour walk to an abandoned village. We reached it after 90 minutes, sat by someone's fireside for several hours, and stumbled home down a rocky path by moonlight, too late for dinner, though Zoran didn't mind.

People press you to try the pilchard pie which is one of the local staples, or the island's wine, too good to reach the mainland.
A walk along a scrub-covered hillside betrays no sound or scent of traffic, but leaves you heady with the aromas of rosemary and sage. Before long, all that may change. And if the steady trickle of tourists turns into a deluge heading for sun and fun, those from Britain need not feel homesick.

My first surprise was the Fortress of King George, guarding a headland above the harbour of the island's main town. It was built in 1812, during the four years when Vis was a British possession.

Still remembered
If you doubt its origin, look at the stone slab above the main gateway: a carved Union flag, and a tribute to George III.

Vis can prove it once was British
There is an echo of that across the other side of the harbour, in the British military cemetery behind St George's Church.

The oldest memorial there commemorates 11 sailors from the British battleship Victorious, who died of their wounds in 1812 after engaging with a French man-of-war near the coast of Venice.

The most recent tablet on the cemetery's walls, placed there in 1999, reads simply: "In memory of the British forces who from this island of Vis gave their lives in comradeship, supporting Tito's army of liberation..."

A couple of miles above the town, on a broad and gently sloping plateau, there are two parallel lines of concrete posts, marking out the limits of a runway.

Olives grow now on the land between the posts, but a nearby stone still carries a dedication to the men of the RAF who died over Croatia in the second world war.

More recent conflicts may have blurred memories of the old bitterness. But in one respect, Vis has decided to hark back to the brief spell when it was a truly British island - it has formed a cricket club.

More accurately, it has revived the club which played here nearly two centuries ago, in Britain's Adriatic heyday.

French victors

The club's rebirth is the work of a Croat, Oliver Roki: he learnt to love the game from his father, who lived in Australia.
It has been going two years, and has 20 adults and 50 younger members.

Oliver's claims to distinction on the pitch are varied. He was the only person on the island who knew the rules of the game when he first suggested the club - and in its inaugural match, he boasts of having scored the first duck on Vis in 200 years.

He is convinced that cricket is catching on in Croatia, though local opponents remain scarce - a club in Zagreb, and another just begun in a small town near the capital.

But there have been visits by teams from France and a pub in Cambridge. Vis lost to both of them, but still pulled in 200 spectators, Oliver says, none of whom understood the first thing they were watching.

This summer, the islanders are looking forward to a visit by a Royal Navy side, and hoping for a game with their Ionian neighbours on Corfu, where cricket is a much older tradition.

Suckers for sustenance
There is already a thriving trade in selling properties on Vis to foreign buyers. One British couple were so entranced with the house the agent showed them that they bought it on the spot, unfazed that the sale was taking place late at night and they had yet to see the property in daylight.

The cricket club may soon have an infusion of new blood, and the hillsides and beaches which few outsiders have seen for more than 60 years will begin to fill up. Some signs of a new and more popular phase in the island's life are there already.

One Vis restaurant has a Dalmatian novelty on offer - an octopus-burger. There are even chips to go with it. I'm not sure I can see it catching on, though.

From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 22 May, 2004 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3737101.stm

As seen in Arena Magazine, Croatia
Written by Snjezana Ivic

-Although she was born in the United States and has lived there for 23 years, Brenda Brkusic’s artistic interest is in Croatia. The daughter of Croatian immigrants to the US Grozdana Ukas from Jezera on the island of Murter and Krunoslav Brkusic from Bogomolje on the island of Hvar, Brenda is one of the best film and TV directing students at Chapman University in Orange, California. Her documentary film Freedom From Despair will one day be shown on American TV networks.
-Last year the young film artist shot scenes for the movie in Lepoglava Prison and on the island of Hvar where she recreated the life of her father, Krunoslav Brkusic, who because of political reasons had to leave, as Brenda said, “the most beautiful country on this earth.â€? But why did he have to leave Croatia? That is the question that she has been concerned with since 13 years ago when her father used to hold passionate speeches in pro-Croatian demonstrations in Washington D.C., engaging the entire family to help out during the homeland war. In the film she tackled the theme of Communist persecution and she shot an interview with Marko Dizdar, a former Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience and President of the association for Political Prisoners under Communism. In Lepoglava Prison she shot in a cell where Marko Dizdar was imprisoned for 12 years. In addition to him, there are two very prominent Croatian Americans interviewed in the film - US Congressman George Radanovich of California and and US Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio who is also a candidate for President of the USA. There are many others in the film whose statements paint a picture of the suffering endured by Croats under Communism. The music is composed by Nenad Bach, a respected Croatian living in New York. Film students in Croatia and America helped Brenda by donating their time and offering to assist with research. An interview with Brenda along with a preview of her film was shown before Christmas on the American TV station PBS. She even succeeded in gaining the attention of Amnesty International, who have supported her in her effort to approach famous actors about reading the narration for the film. “I am hoping that with their help Goran Visnjic will consider participating in the movie. Even though we live in the same city and I have been in the studio during a filming of ER, I am very sorry that I did not have the opportunity to tell him about the project. If he were to contribute to this film it would be a great promotion for the film, and it would probably help with showcasing it on American TV.â€? The film will have a Croatian Premiere in the Dubrovnik International Film Festival’s documentary category in May.
-After escaping from the Communist regime, Brenda’s parents met in US and were married in 1967. Her father started a business in Chicago called Industrial Service Products where he employed about 15 people, making his son Brian’s and daughter Brenda’s life very nice. And although Brenda grew up in a middle class Suburb of Chicago, Croatian culture was always a big part of her life. From childhood she enjoyed dancing. From tap, ballet to hip –hop, she danced in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Miami until she moved to California to start her independent student life, where she began teaching dance lessons on the side to make money. From age 13, she was working as a model for hair and clothes, but for her life profession, she decided to become a writer and director of films. Chapman University recognized her talent and ambition and awarded her with a scholarship. Last year she was made a short documentary called My Croatia, a story about Boska Marcelic, a Croatian immigrant in the US who tries to retain her cultural identity. Freedom From Despair is her final project to graduate from Chapman and she is one the 5 best students out of 800 candidates to receive the Marion Knott Scholarship. This has given her the chance to work on the film during post-production with very the respected director David S. Ward as her mentor - well know for the film Sleepless in the Seattle with Tom Hanks.
-“Even though I have been very connected with Croatia from childhood, I visited the country for the first time in 1996. After that, I returned a few times on vacation and went last summer to film the movie. I have many friends and cousins in Croatia, one of which is Gibonni, who unfortunately I have not yet met. Many singers from Croatia who come on tours in the US are friends with my father and often they stay in our house. Because of this, we always have news from the homeland in Chicago. Freedom From Despair tells the story of my father Kruno, who was a young boy was imprisoned and harassed by the Communist regime. He escaped to Italy in 1957 risking his own life, and he found his dream of freedom in America. When Yugoslavia broke apart he was determined to become a voice of truth for Croatia in the American media. I was only 10 years old then, but witnessing him stand up for justice in that way will be deep in my mind forever. So today when I have time, I write to newspapers to try and dispel lies and fabrications that are printed about Croatia. I am especially happy that in this film, Marko Dizdar and Father Petar Bezina were able to tell their life story to the world. And perhaps my next film will also be a Croatian story.â€?

Klape u surroundu i suzama
 

Nenad Bach na otvorenju izloÅžbe

DOORS Art Foundation i multimedijalna izloÅžba Croatian Contemporary Arts doÅživjeli su veliki uspjeh, a ameri ka publika ovacijama i suzama pozdravila je hrvatske klape.

Ovorenje multimedijalne izloÅžbe pod nazivom Croatian Contemporary Arts koja je odrÅžana u Bredford Graves Gallery u New York Cityu 07. svibnja, pokazala se kao veliki uspjeh umjetnika Nenada Bacha,Andreja Urema,Maria Lalia te organizatoraDoors Art Foundationa.

Na samom otvorenju prisustvovalo je više stotina posjetitelja meu kojima ameri kih i hrvatski umjetnika te kulturni ataše grada New Yorka koji su pokazali veliko zanimanje za dogaaj te izrazili interes za budue programe vezane za hrvatsku kulturu.

Program je otvorila direktorica Doors Art Foundationa Daniela Urem, koja je zahvalila prisutnima na tako velikom odazivu.

Nenad Bach je predstavio polifono pjevanje hrvatskih klapa Sinj, Navalia, rije ke Şenske klape Luka i Lino iz Dubrovnika. Za vrijeme izloŞbe koja je trajala tri dana puštale su se klape Fortunal, Navalia te hvarski pu ki pjeva i Pharos Cantros kao zvu na kulisa ili duhovni pejzaŞ ovog hrvatsko-ameri kog happeninga.

Po prvi put ikad, Klape su se slušale u surround sistemu. InŞenjerski dio je osobno vodio John Holbrook, peterostruki dobitnik nagrade Grammy i veliki ljubitelj Hrvatske. Slušajui zvukove hrvatskih klapa, prisutna publika stajala je nepomi no i sve ano. Ameri ka publika je bila dirnuta do suza, pogotovo na pjesmi Lipo ime Klape Sinj, autora Mojimira a ije i Jakse Fiamenga. Zbog velikog interesa prisutnih, Nenad Bach je istu ve er još jedanput ponovio prezentaciju klapa.

Rije anin Å˝elimir Galjani, program director Doors Art Foundationa te magistar filozofije, teologije i knjiÅževnosti s Harvarda, predstavio je publici monografiju Aeterna Croatia Andreja Urema.

Monografija Aeterna Croatia je vizualni DNK hrvatskog kulturnog identiteta, podijeljena u sedam ciklusa ilustrira antologijsko nasljee pisaca, kipara, slikara, duhovnika, glazbenika, znanstvenika te hrvatskih gradova. Svaka pojedina ilustracija rana je po atribuciji osobe koju ona predstavlja te za cjelokupni opus korišteno je preko dvije tisue raznih fotografija iz arhivskih graa. Ameri ka producentica Stephanie Silber skrenula je paŞnju kako originalni pristup Uremovih grafi kih obrada i prezentacija hrvatske kulture u monografiji Aeterna Croatia stvara dublji interes ameri ke publike za Hrvatsku.

Višestruko nagraivani internacionalni fotograf Mario Lali, porijeklom iz Splita, predstavljen je s dvadeset fotografija suvremenog sadrŞaja. Lali promovira ideju sofisticiranih urbanih panorama vezanih uz civilizacijski klin apsurdnih pomaka svijesti i motiva. esto duhovita i višeslojna, fotografija balansira izmeu korjenskih vrijednosti i vrstog zagrljaja tehnologije. Mirko Ili nije bio u mogunosti prisustvovati izloŞbi zbog izvaredne osobne situacije, ali je telefonski zaŞelio uspješnu ve er.

Nenad Bach je najavio i glazbenu produkciju cijele serije glazbenih zapisa pod nazivom Mediterranian Sounds – Croatian Voices gdje e se takav Hrvatski kulturni proizvod (Croatian Cultural Product), hrvatskog a capella pjevanja sustavno promovirati na svjetsko trÅžiste.

Andrej Urem je po rije ima Nenada Bacha idealni umjetnik za rješavanje vizualnog identiteta cijele produkcije zbog njegovog razumijevanja glazbe i podneblja te originalne vizualne interpretacije iskazane u drugim radovima.

Od hrvatskih umjetnika izloŞbi su prisustvovali poznati fotograf Lorenc Ferich, Denis Licul, Zvjezdana Vrzi, fotofraf Mario Novak, Neven Lipovac, arhitekt Leo Modri in te ameri ki umjetnici reŞiser Victor Zimet, producent Stephanie Silber, reŞiser filma Justice Evan Oppenheimer, spisateljica Sheri Fink, ameri ki producent George Heussner koji je zainteresiran za posjet hrvatskoj u vezi s njegovim novim projektom Sky Over te Hrvatski Konzulat, Vanda Radetti, Jadranka Jureško-Kero, Mile Mileti, Nena Komarica, Maestro Fedor Kabalin, profesor Igor Sunara , muzikolog Zdravko BlaŞekovi, Makedonska misija UN-a, iz Croatian Cronicle Katarina Deletiš i Višnja Mio i te John Kraljic.

Ova izloÅžba je prva u nizu programa Doors Art Fondationa.
Naredna izloÅžba hrvatskih umjetnika koji Åžive u Hrvatskoj planirana je za listopad 2004 godine, nakon koje e uslijediti izloÅžba ameri kih umjetnika na temu Hrvatske. Sustavno prevoenje hrvatske literature, predstavljanje hrvatskih klapa u vodeim glazbenim institucijama kao Å¡to su Carnege Hall i Lincoln Centar te osnivanje mreÅže sponzora i kulturno-administrativnog centra koji e koordinirati programe su prioriteti ove nove internaconalne fondacije.

http://www.iskon.hr/kultura/page/2004/05/11/0124006.html
 

Croatian Emigrant Almanac
http://matis.hr/zbornik

CROATIAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Zagreb, May 18, 2004

Subject: Invitation by the editorial board of the Croatian Emigrant Almanac

The editorial board of the CROATIAN EMIGRANT ALMANAC 2004 calls upon readers
and contributors from expatriate Croatia and authors from the Homeland to
send their suggestions concerning the editorial conception of this serial
publication, as well as their auctorial contributions, no later than
September 1, 2004, at the address below:


Hrvatska matica isleljenika
(Vesna Kukavica)
Trg Stjepana Radiæa 3, Zagreb, Croatia
E-mail: vesna@matis.hr

Topics:

1. Social and cultural life of Croatian ethnic communities in the past and
present (people, events, anniversaries);
2. Literal contributions.

The editorial board will carry out the selection of works for the thematic
sections of the CROATIAN EMIGRANT ALMANAC 2005.
Submitted manuscripts will not be returned.

Vesna Kukavica
On behalf of the CHF


HRVATSKA MATICA ISELJENIKA
Hrvatski iseljenièki zbornik
http://matis.hr/zbornik

Broj: 4569
Zagreb 18. svibnja, 2004.

Predmet: Poziv uredništva Hrvatskog iseljenièkog zbornika


Uredništvo Hrvatskog iseljenièkog zbornika poziva èitatelje i suradnike iz
hrvatskoga izvandomovinstva i autore iz Hrvatske da se jave sugestijama i
suradnièkim prilozima, u okviru uređivaèke koncepcije te Matièine serijske
publikacije, zakljuèno s 15. rujna 2004. godine
na adresu:

Hrvatska matica iseljenika (Vesna Kukavica), Trg Stjepana Radiæa 3, Zagreb,
Hrvatska
E-mail: vesna@matis.hr

Teme:

1. društveni i kulturni život hrvatskoga izvandomovinstva u prošlosti i
sadašnjosti (liènosti, događaji, obljetnice)
2. literarni prilozi

Izbor radova za tematske jedinice Hrvatskog iseljenièkog zbornika izvršit æe
Uredništvo. Radovi se ne vraæaju.

Za HMI: Vesna Kukavica, urednica HIZ-a



FUNDACION PARA LA EMIGRACION CROATA
Anuario para la emigracion Croata
http://matis.hr/zbornik

No: 4569
Zagreb, May 18, 2004

Objeto: Invitacion de la redaccion del Anuario para la emigracion croata

La redaccion del Anuario trilingue Hrvatski iseljenicki zbornik, invita a
sus lectores y colaboradores del exterior, lo mismo que a los autores de
Croacia, que envien a esta redaccion sus sugerencias y articulos. Los
articulos deber abarcar la tematica de esta publicacion serial de la
Fundacion para la Emigracion Croata. Enviar el material a la siguiente
direccion:

Hrvatska matica iseljenika / Fundacion para la Emigracion Croata (Vesna
Kukavica), Trg Stjepana Radica 3, Zagreb, Croacia.

e-mail: vesna@matis.hr


Temas:
1. Vida social y cultural de la emigracion croata, tanto en el pasado como
en el presente (personalidades destacadas, acontecimientos, efemerides)
2. Trabajos literarios

La seleccion de las unidades tematicas para el 'Anuario para la emigracion
croata 2005' sera efectuada por la redaccion. Los originales no se devuelven.

Vesna Kukavica
por Fundacion para la Emigracion Croata


 

ZUPA MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD I HRVATSKA ZAJEDNICA ASTORIA POZIVA VAS NA

KONCERT KLAPE ASTORIA

SUBOTA 05. LIPNJA 2004, SA POCETKOM U 20:00 SATI

Koncert ce se odrzati u Most Precious Blood Church (gornja crkva)
32-50 37. ulica (izmedju Broadway-a i 34. avenije)
Astoria, Queens

ULAZ SLOBODAN

P.S. Uz citav niz antologijskih dalmatinskih pjesama, publika ce imati
priliku cuti i koncertnu praizvedbu Dalmatinske mise, unikatnog djela
dubrovackog skladatelja Kresimira Magdica. Ova peterostavacna misa, za koju
je adaptaciju teksta na dalmatinski dijalekt priredio jedan od
najisaknutijih cakavskih pjesnika nase domovine Jaksa Fiamengo, predstavlja
ne samo projekciju puckog pjevanja u vecu klasicnu glazbenu formu vec i
jedno od najvecih ostvarenja nase narodne umjetnosti do danas.


MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD PARISH AND CROATIAN COMMUNITY OF ASTORIA CORDIALLY  INVITES YOU TO THE

CONCERT OF KLAPA ASTORIA

SATURDAY, JUNE 05. 2004., AT 8:00 PM

Concert will take place at the Most Precious Blood Church (upper church)
32-50 37th Street (between Broadway and 34th Avenue)
Astoria, Queens

FREE ADMISSION

P.S. Concert program will feature selection of the finest dalmatian folk
songs in "a cappela style" (without instrumental accompaniment), as well as
US premire of Dalmatian Mass. This unique composition in five movments is a
work of two of the finest Croatian artists, composer Kresimir Magdic and
poet Jaksa Fiamengo who created adaptation of traditional Mass text into the
Dalmatian dialect. This work represents one of the greatest achivments of
Croatian Folk Art.
 

A successful fund-raiser for

Friends of the Queens Library-Broadway Chapter, New York
 

On Saturday May 22, 2004, "Friends of the Queens Library-Broadway Chapter" held a successful fund-raiser in Astoria library auditorium featuring artists and performers from Astoria and Long Island City community. Sanja Crnkovic, President of the "Friends of the Queens Library" helped organize the event along with several other volunteers.

Two Croatian children who recently performed at the fifth Children's Music Festival in Queens performed two songs in Croatian language:

Ten-year-old Katarina Glavan sang "Dalmacijo, mila moja mati" written by D. Peric and eleven-year-old Filip Malaric sang "Pokazi mi" written by Marko Bilan.

The tax-deductible financial donations and active local participation, such as volunteering, creates public support for the library and enhances the cultural life of the community. Volunteers work with the library staff on legislative advocacy. Democratic Council Member – District 22 Peter Vallone, Jr. spoke briefly stressing the importance of libraries to higher education.

Wanda S. Radetti, commercial and cultural attaché City of Rijeka and a local resident of Astoria, attended and enthusiastically participated during the performance of "Free Style Artists" which does interactive group art. Twelve-year-old Viktor Crnkovic also participated, reminding the audience how creative art is a worthwhile experience that even amateurs can dive into easily.

Other performers were singer and comedian Susan Scannell, musician Natalia Paruz, poet Ella Smith, singer Ameilia Terry, comedian and teacher Jim Gallagher, professional dancers Milly Brig and Keith Johnson, folk dancer Anoush performed Armenian style solo dance, dressed in a beautiful outfit. Carmine Guida, a Dumbek player specializing in Middle Eastern rhythms, accompanied Anoush.

In the past, Sanja initiated a collection of the Croatian Children's books available at the Broadway Branch Library in Astoria. For additional information, see www.queenslibrary.org click on "WorldLinQ" and click on "Croatian." In addition, Sanja organized free community events at the library such as performance of the Croatian folk group "Hrvatska Ruza", singing group "Klapa" and Boris Miketic speaking about travel to Croatia.

Zdenka Kardum, representative in charge of cultural events at the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in New York was part of the audience along with approximately 60 others.

ANNOUNCEMENT

IMPORTANT NEW CROATIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY

by

DR BRANKO FRANOLIC

 

24.05.04

Dr Branko Franolic has just produced a new and
important english language work - A Survey of Croatian
Bibliographies 1960-2003. To understand why this is so
important for Croatia, I spoke to Dr Franolic.

Why did he embark on this project? "After World War 2,
world bibliographies that were published in London and
New York mentioned Croatia until 1958 - then stopped.
This was due to Belgrade policy, which controlled the
flow of information. Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia
were mentioned but not Croatia" Dr Franolic informed
me. Such policies were to have an effect on academic
records of Croatia internationally.

"The 9 volume Bibliography of Bibliographies published
by SAUR in Munich (1983-2003) has very few references
to Croatia, less than the Former Soviet Republic of
Tajikistan, but on a footing with Kyrgyzstan"

"That's the reason to do this bibliography - to cover
this gap of 40 years and increase the amount of
references."

This bibliography of bibliographies is in a way more
complete than the one produced by the National and
University library in Zagreb. This is largely due to
the fact that a law stating that when a book is
published six copies should be deposited with the
library is not respected by some publishers and
authors. "If a book is not recorded in the National
and University library's CIP bulletin it effectively
does not exist" said Dr Franolic.

Dr Franolic had to write to many separate libraries in
Croatia as well as to state archives and scientific
institutes to obtain information about the books held
in their libraries. He received much invaluable
assistance from staff in libraries in places including
Rijeka, Osijek, Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik and monastery
libraries in Sinj, Imotski and elsewhere. Due to Dr
Franolic's efforts many bibliographies are now
recorded that would otherwise not be.

In approaching libraries, one of the realities of the
war came to the fore; the deliberate destruction of
cultural material by Serbian forces. The monastery at
Kostajnica was destroyed; only one book remained
there.

That itself shows how important works such as this
are. This bibliography will enable historians and
other academics to be able to access Croatia's history
more fully.

The price of the book is $50 U.S. Dollars (postage &
packing inc) and can be ordered from Dr Branko
Franolic, 15 Midmoor Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19
4JD, England

© Brian Gallagher
www.croatiafocus.com

http://members.madasafish.com/~opus/Croatia/Brian.Gallagher.240504.html

Marin Artukovich & Market for Kona crop growing

Demand keeps rising for coveted coffee bean
By Matt Sedensky
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 19, 2004
CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii – It started as a backyard business for Marin Artukovich, a few acres of coffee planted high above the coastline here on the slopes of a volcano.
Today, just seven years later, his Koa Coffee Plantation on the Big Island's Kona coast, comprises 80 acres of coffee trees on seven parcels of land. It yielded about 700,000 pounds last year, and employs 45 people during the busiest part of the season. It's a far cry from Artukovich's first year in business, when 38,000 pounds of the shiny red cherries holding the beloved bean were picked by family and visiting friends. "The demand for Kona coffee's gotten better and better," said Artukovich, whose beans are considered among the best in Hawaii, the only U.S. state with commercial coffee production. "We didn't envision that." Coffee has been grown here for nearly two centuries, but demand for the pricey beans from Kona is swelling. In tourist shops, most Kona coffee is sold in blends containing just 10 percent of beans grown here. Bags of the pure stuff typically sell for $20 to $25 a pound here, and can go for $40 or more on the mainland. Never mind that Kona coffee is among the world's more expensive brews. Aficionados are driven to Kona coffee's unique taste, and with supply short, there's barely enough to go around. "It's like a well-aged bourbon or whiskey. It's different," said Tom Greenwell, owner of Greenwell Farms, which has 22 acres of coffee. "You can find other coffees similar, but they leave you hanging at the end of the cup."
Some 650 coffee farms occupy a 20-mile-long stretch along the Big Island's western coast, set amid fields of hardened lava with panoramic views of the Pacific. Tourists flock here for tours and to snatch up bags of beans. "We're becoming the Napa Valley of coffee," Artukovich said.
Kona coffee is strong yet smooth, a full-bodied brew, sometimes with a fruity hint. Coffee thrives here in Kona because the soil is perfect, as is the rainfall. Ample sunlight comes in the course of the day, but clouds manage to block out afternoon rays that are too strong.
Agriculture officials do not track changes in Kona's coffee crop specifically, but they do compile such information for the entire Big Island. Kona is home to an estimated 93 percent of the Big Island's total acreage of coffee crops, producing an estimated 96 percent of the island's coffee.
The total acreage of Big Island coffee fields rose from 2,800 in 1998 to 3,500 last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Industry sources say the number of plantings in Kona will continue to rise because all the coffee grown is being sold.
"Everyone who's in the market is selling all of their product," said Roger Dilts, president of the Kona Coffee Council and owner of the five-acre Aloha Farms.
Kona beans have found their way back onto the shelves of Starbucks – all of the nearly 4,200 company-owned stores in North America. It's the first time in seven years that the coffee giant has offered Hawaii's choicest brew, and its reappearance can mean only one thing, farmers here say – even more demand. Starbucks won't say how much 100 percent Kona coffee it bought to stock its stores with beans that went on sale this month in half-and full-pound bags priced at $19 and $35. For years, the chain said it had not been able to find an adequate supply even for a limited offering such as this one, but that changed. "Kona is such a limited crop to begin with that we're pretty particular about the coffee we offer. We always want to make sure the coffee truly exemplifies the true crop," said Andrew Linnemann, Starbucks' director of green coffee, as unroasted beans are called. Growers say Starbucks, in some ways, is responsible for Kona coffee's growth. Its track record of introducing coffee lovers to exclusive brews combined with its remarkable growth has fueled interest in specialty coffees. Still, farmers say they're not getting rich off their crops. Greenwell estimates that a five-acre farm here could yield about $50,000 annually before overhead. It would require the work of a five-person family and still necessitate hiring seasonal help, he said. The costs for labor and land alone in Kona are many times higher than those in a foreign coffee center such as Costa Rica. Artukovich says workers here make an average of $8 to $10 an hour, while a Central American or South American worker might go home with $1 or $2 for an entire day. "I'm basically doing it for free and I'm having a hard time," said Bob Nelson, who has increased the number of trees at his Lehuula Farms from 1,100 in 1989 to 4,000.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040519/news_1b19coffee.html