I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
big bucks in Import fees.

End of subject

aloha,
Thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

smithfarms pure kona > wrote in
:

> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
> big bucks in Import fees.


Ahhhhhh, so if you send roasted beans.........????


>
> End of subject


Not yet :-)


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

At this spectacle even the most gentle must feel savage, and the most
savage must weep.

Turkish Officer
400 Plateau
24May1915

On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
> big bucks in Import fees.

Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)

nb

notbob > wrote in news:is2dnWNyhfIU9_fZRVn-
:

> On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
>> big bucks in Import fees.
>
> Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)
>


We *do* have some very good coffee of our own, you know. We are not
totally reliant on the US for all our needs :-)


http://www.byronbaycoffeeco.com.au/

http://www.zarraffascoffee.com/

http://www.arabicas.com.au/

http://www.zentvelds.com.au/index.html



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

At this spectacle even the most gentle must feel savage, and the most
savage must weep.

Turkish Officer
400 Plateau
24May1915

On 2006-05-17, LucasP > wrote:

> We *do* have some very good coffee of our own, you know. We are not
> totally reliant on the US for all our needs :-)

Oh, I know. I was just being ornery. Too bad such laws exist. I
could see it if there was an outright ban due to some perceived bug,
or whatnot. But, just for pure greed. It's not like the price of
Kona is going to undercut the competition.

nb

notbob > wrote in news:
:

> On 2006-05-17, LucasP > wrote:
>
>> We *do* have some very good coffee of our own, you know. We are not
>> totally reliant on the US for all our needs :-)
>
> Oh, I know. I was just being ornery.


Ohhhhhh Noooooooo!!! Another bloody Texan!! ;-P


>Too bad such laws exist. I
> could see it if there was an outright ban due to some perceived bug,
> or whatnot. But, just for pure greed. It's not like the price of
> Kona is going to undercut the competition.
>


I think it's because they were *green* beans. Roasted beans would be OK.



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

At this spectacle even the most gentle must feel savage, and the most
savage must weep.

Turkish Officer
400 Plateau
24May1915

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
>> big bucks in Import fees.
>
> Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)
>
> nb
>

Sometimes it sucks to be buying coffee here in Kona if you don't know what
you're doing. Many times I've seen people stocking up on "Kona Coffee" at
the checkout line, apparently not noticing the labeling that would tell them
that they are buying a "blend" (10% Kona coffee) at $5.99 per 10oz. bag.
That's $9.58/lb.! There are plenty of independent producers who will sell
100% Kona for $10/lb., and it's a fresher product to boot. In general, don't
buy your coffee from tourist shops like Hilo Hattie, or from Wal*Mart or the
supermarkets. Get it from a coffee farmer, and you'll be glad you did.

Aloha,

Rich

In article >, notbob > wrote:
>On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
>> big bucks in Import fees.
>
>Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)

The problem is probably that "green/unroasted" bit... Lot of coffee
diseases overseas that Oz doesn't have yet, so quarantine laws can be
pretty strick. I dunno whether Hawaii is also largely free of these
diseases, so that may be a bit unfair to growers there if they are.

Also, when looking at customs duties and our popular GST, charges can
depend a bit on the mode of import. I could be wrong, but I have the
impression standard postal articles have a bit of an advantage here.
Things arriving by some of the usual international freight companies
(DHL springs to mind) seem to get charged the minimum fee (AUD50.00+
years ago) irrespective of the low value of the contents of the pack.
Then, of course, they also get hit with the other statutory taxes!
Low value postal articles apparently often avoid all these charges for
reasons best known to the bureaucracy. [Probably because, if there's
no "minimum fee" for them, then it's not worth the time and trouble to
collect small amounts of tax.]

Of course, all this opinion is probably worth no more than you've paid
for it -- so get some professional advice if it's an issue relevant to
you.

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

On Wed, 17 May 2006 14:44:21 GMT, (Phred)
wrote:

>In article >, notbob
> wrote:
>>On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that
was
>>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking
for
>>> big bucks in Import fees.
>>
>>Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)
>
>The problem is probably that "green/unroasted" bit... Lot of coffee
>diseases overseas that Oz doesn't have yet, so quarantine laws can be
>pretty strick. I dunno whether Hawaii is also largely free of these
>diseases, so that may be a bit unfair to growers there if they are.
>
>Also, when looking at customs duties and our popular GST, charges can
>depend a bit on the mode of import. I could be wrong, but I have the
>impression standard postal articles have a bit of an advantage here.
>Things arriving by some of the usual international freight companies
>(DHL springs to mind) seem to get charged the minimum fee (AUD50.00+
>years ago) irrespective of the low value of the contents of the pack.
>Then, of course, they also get hit with the other statutory taxes!
>Low value postal articles apparently often avoid all these charges
for
>reasons best known to the bureaucracy. [Probably because, if there's
>no "minimum fee" for them, then it's not worth the time and trouble
to
>collect small amounts of tax.]
>
>Of course, all this opinion is probably worth no more than you've
paid
>for it -- so get some professional advice if it's an issue relevant
to
>you.
>
>Cheers, Phred.

Phred, Hawaii is the most isolated place on earth(!) and you are
correct, we have very few coffee pests. Hardly any, so Australia is
not keeping us out for fear of pests, but more IMHO to protect their
commerce.

And Rick who posted above, you are correct about the 10% Blend junk. I
walk by in WalMart and see tourists over paying for a blend but I
don't say anything cuz it is a time issue for me. Go to town and
leave ASAP. But Rick, ***there are not any farmers, I know, who can
sell their 100% Kona for $10/pound. None. Just costs too much to
produce and then there are taxes and health insurance and mortgage
etc.... and of course fair wages for all as we are part of the US.

Farming

aloha
Thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

"smithfarms pure kona" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 17 May 2006 14:44:21 GMT, (Phred)
> wrote:
>
>>In article >, notbob
> > wrote:
>>>On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>>>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that
> was
>>>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking
> for
>>>> big bucks in Import fees.
>>>
>>>Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)
>>
>>The problem is probably that "green/unroasted" bit... Lot of coffee
>>diseases overseas that Oz doesn't have yet, so quarantine laws can be
>>pretty strick. I dunno whether Hawaii is also largely free of these
>>diseases, so that may be a bit unfair to growers there if they are.
>>
>>Also, when looking at customs duties and our popular GST, charges can
>>depend a bit on the mode of import. I could be wrong, but I have the
>>impression standard postal articles have a bit of an advantage here.
>>Things arriving by some of the usual international freight companies
>>(DHL springs to mind) seem to get charged the minimum fee (AUD50.00+
>>years ago) irrespective of the low value of the contents of the pack.
>>Then, of course, they also get hit with the other statutory taxes!
>>Low value postal articles apparently often avoid all these charges
> for
>>reasons best known to the bureaucracy. [Probably because, if there's
>>no "minimum fee" for them, then it's not worth the time and trouble
> to
>>collect small amounts of tax.]
>>
>>Of course, all this opinion is probably worth no more than you've
> paid
>>for it -- so get some professional advice if it's an issue relevant
> to
>>you.
>>
>>Cheers, Phred.
>
> Phred, Hawaii is the most isolated place on earth(!) and you are
> correct, we have very few coffee pests. Hardly any, so Australia is
> not keeping us out for fear of pests, but more IMHO to protect their
> commerce.
>
> And Rick who posted above, you are correct about the 10% Blend junk. I
> walk by in WalMart and see tourists over paying for a blend but I
> don't say anything cuz it is a time issue for me. Go to town and
> leave ASAP. But Rick, ***there are not any farmers, I know, who can
> sell their 100% Kona for $10/pound. None. Just costs too much to
> produce and then there are taxes and health insurance and mortgage
> etc.... and of course fair wages for all as we are part of the US.
>
> Farming
>
> aloha
> Thunder
> smithfarms.com
> Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

BJ's sells pure Kona Coffee - I've bought it there.
Price for 10% is/was around $6 a lb.
Price for 100% a lb. is, if I remember correctly, around $15 more or less.

I've asked this of you previously, but never saw an answer, regarding the
coffee supplied to McDonald's in Hawaii. At the time I lived there
(1985-1988), it was said that all McDonald's in Hawaii served Kona,
exclusively. Do you know if this was ever the case, or if they serve Kona
exclusively now? This is not a need-to-know; just a curiosity on my part,
and I thought maybe you would know.

Thanks,
Dee Dee

On Wed, 17 May 2006 12:34:07 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> wrote:

>
>"smithfarms pure kona" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Wed, 17 May 2006 14:44:21 GMT,
(Phred)
>> wrote:
>>
>>>In article >, notbob
>> > wrote:
snipped......
>BJ's sells pure Kona Coffee - I've bought it there.
>Price for 10% is/was around $6 a lb.
>Price for 100% a lb. is, if I remember correctly, around $15 more or
less.
>
>I've asked this of you previously, but never saw an answer, regarding
the
>coffee supplied to McDonald's in Hawaii. At the time I lived there
>(1985-1988), it was said that all McDonald's in Hawaii served Kona,
>exclusively. Do you know if this was ever the case, or if they serve
Kona
>exclusively now? This is not a need-to-know; just a curiosity on my
part,
>and I thought maybe you would know.
>
>Thanks,
>Dee Dee
>
>

I don't remember being asked about Kona coffee in McDonald's in
Hawaii. But...I do remember that it was a Kona BLEND and certainly
not 100% Kona---at least when it is served here in Kealakekua at the
local McDonald's.

One of the issues is there is just not enough Kona available for a
McD's type place.

Pure Kona is a specialty coffee and not exactly what McD's serves.
When you have 10% Kona in a bag with 90% other stuff, it sure
stretches that Kona. Of course we farmers hate that the "Kona" name
can be used with something that it 90% OTHER--which is not even listed
on the package. (I've seen the workers at McD's wear shirts proudly
stating "Royal Kona" but that is the name of a huge company that does
indeed rip-off the Kona name to make it's BLEND.)

end of rant.

aloha,
Thunder

aloha,
Thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

On 2006-05-17, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>
> I don't remember being asked about Kona coffee in McDonald's in
> Hawaii. But...I do remember that it was a Kona BLEND and certainly
> not 100% Kona---at least when it is served here in Kealakekua at the
> local McDonald's.

There was a major scandal about 8-12 yrs ago here in the SFBA. A
major importer was selling crap coffee as 100% Kona. Made millions
before he was discovered. Stupid consumers were outraged, as well
they might be. I wonder why Starbuck's consumers aren't.

nb

On Wed, 17 May 2006 15:51:50 -0500, notbob > wrote:

>On 2006-05-17, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>>
>> I don't remember being asked about Kona coffee in McDonald's in
>> Hawaii. But...I do remember that it was a Kona BLEND and certainly
>> not 100% Kona---at least when it is served here in Kealakekua at
the
>> local McDonald's.
>
>There was a major scandal about 8-12 yrs ago here in the SFBA. A
>major importer was selling crap coffee as 100% Kona. Made millions
>before he was discovered. Stupid consumers were outraged, as well
>they might be. I wonder why Starbuck's consumers aren't.
>
>nb

I was President of the Kona Coffee Council in 1996 when Kona Kai with
Bob Regli and Michael Norton were exposed by a disgruntled employee
who took video shots of the Kona Kai people putting Panamanian coffee
into Kona bags. It was an important time for Kona coffee farmers and
we still reflect on it today.

aloha,
Thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

"smithfarms pure kona" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 17 May 2006 12:34:07 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"smithfarms pure kona" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> On Wed, 17 May 2006 14:44:21 GMT,
> (Phred)
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>In article >, notbob
>>> > wrote:
> snipped......
>>BJ's sells pure Kona Coffee - I've bought it there.
>>Price for 10% is/was around $6 a lb.
>>Price for 100% a lb. is, if I remember correctly, around $15 more or
> less.
>>
>>I've asked this of you previously, but never saw an answer, regarding
> the
>>coffee supplied to McDonald's in Hawaii. At the time I lived there
>>(1985-1988), it was said that all McDonald's in Hawaii served Kona,
>>exclusively. Do you know if this was ever the case, or if they serve
> Kona
>>exclusively now? This is not a need-to-know; just a curiosity on my
> part,
>>and I thought maybe you would know.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Dee Dee
>>
>>
>
> I don't remember being asked about Kona coffee in McDonald's in
> Hawaii. But...I do remember that it was a Kona BLEND and certainly
> not 100% Kona---at least when it is served here in Kealakekua at the
> local McDonald's.
>
> One of the issues is there is just not enough Kona available for a
> McD's type place.
>
> Pure Kona is a specialty coffee and not exactly what McD's serves.
> When you have 10% Kona in a bag with 90% other stuff, it sure
> stretches that Kona. Of course we farmers hate that the "Kona" name
> can be used with something that it 90% OTHER--which is not even listed
> on the package. (I've seen the workers at McD's wear shirts proudly
> stating "Royal Kona" but that is the name of a huge company that does
> indeed rip-off the Kona name to make it's BLEND.)
>
> end of rant.
>
> aloha,
> Thunder
>
> aloha,
> Thunder
> smithfarms.com
> Farmers of pure Kona Coffee


Thanks for your reply.

At BJ's, (similar to Costco) they also sell
http://www.bluemountaincoffee.com/
which according to most is the highest priced coffee in the world.
In BJ's, it's a blend, but still good. I forget the brand that BJ's sells.
I've had 100% Blue Mountain in Tokyo and Montreal. Both quite good.

PS: An aside. One time we were driving around and saw a big beautiful home
on a coffee farm in Hawaii and stopped just to enjoy its beautiful setting.
Someone stopped by our car and asked us if we were waiting for Jim Neighbors
to arrive; that he would be arriving by helicopter any time. We drove away,
the setting was too perfect for a helicopter landing.
Don't ask me where on Hawaii -- I can't even remember now.
Thanks for your info.
Dee Dee

On Wed, 17 May 2006 13:23:21 GMT, Rich wrote:

>
> "notbob" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
> >> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that was
> >> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking for
> >> big bucks in Import fees.
> >
> > Hmmm... too bad. Sucks to be in OZ. (if you like real Kona coffee)
> >
> > nb
> >
>
> Sometimes it sucks to be buying coffee here in Kona if you don't know what
> you're doing. Many times I've seen people stocking up on "Kona Coffee" at
> the checkout line, apparently not noticing the labeling that would tell them
> that they are buying a "blend" (10% Kona coffee) at $5.99 per 10oz. bag.
> That's $9.58/lb.! There are plenty of independent producers who will sell
> 100% Kona for $10/lb., and it's a fresher product to boot. In general, don't
> buy your coffee from tourist shops like Hilo Hattie, or from Wal*Mart or the
> supermarkets. Get it from a coffee farmer, and you'll be glad you did.
>
> Aloha,
>
Sometimes people don't care. Everything is relative and it's
especially true for tourists. They are being ripped off (in local
terms), they know it and they figure it's worth the price. People who
want pure Kona can buy it at home. That's the way the world works
these days.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

On Wed, 17 May 2006 23:21:59 -0700, sf >
wrote:

>On Wed, 17 May 2006 13:23:21 GMT, Rich wrote:
>
>>
>> "notbob" > wrote in message
>> ...
snipped..............
>>
>> Aloha,
>>
>Sometimes people don't care. Everything is relative and it's
>especially true for tourists. They are being ripped off (in local
>terms), they know it and they figure it's worth the price. People
who
>want pure Kona can buy it at home. That's the way the world works
>these days.

I don't think people are deliberately out to rip off tourists. Perhaps
the big huge Blending companies, like Lion and Royal Kona can phrase
it differently in their marketing meetings- profit motive etc...,
but most people want visitors to have a nice time here.

aloha, Thunder

smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

smithfarms pure kona > wrote in
:

> On Wed, 17 May 2006 14:44:21 GMT, (Phred)
> wrote:
>

>>>On 2006-05-16, smithfarms pure kona > wrote:
>>>> I was sending green/unroasted coffee beans to Australia and that
> was
>>>> when the Customs whatever/whomever kept it from my buyer, asking
> for
>>>> big bucks in Import fees.

Unless it was a high value consignment it was most likely held up by
Quarantine (I work for AQIS, but this is not an official response!) rather
than Customs. You'd need to check the Customs website but as far as I'm
aware they now only charge duty on mail articles with value of AUD$1000 or
more

>>The problem is probably that "green/unroasted" bit...

It is the green bit. There are no restrictions on the import of roasted
coffee beans. Under current legislation green coffee beans (from any
country, as far as I'm aware) for processing can come in only under an
import permit, green coffee beans for sowing also need an import permit and
must be grown under quarantine. Conditions can be found at www.aqis.gov.au.

Permit costs may be a little expensive for just an individual who wishes to
bring some green coffee beans in for themselves, but probably not that
expensive for a business. No quarantine concerns if the individual orders
their coffee already roasted.


--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia