Welcome to Kona Crown
A 35-year dream, generations of Hawaiian heritage, and a single estate on the slopes of Hualālai.
Our Story Begins
Welcome to Kona Crown Coffee. We are Ted and Pam Darnall. We met in Kona in 1988 and as a newly wed couple we dreamed of having a coffee farm on the slopes of Hualālai one day.
Thirty-five years later our dream came true when we purchased an existing 42 acre coffee farm near the town of Holualoa in 2023.
Our Hawaiian Roots
Our heritage dates back to the 1850's with John Douglas Ackerman, Pam's Maternal Great Grandfather, who came to Waipio Valley on the island of Hawaiʻi. John Douglas grew rice for several years before moving over to the Kona District near the town of Kealakekua. The Ackermans started a dairy, raised cattle, farmed coffee and were the first farmers to grow and can pineapple for retail sale to stores in Honolulu.
Pam's father's family, the Cleghorns, is another Kamaʻaina family. A.S. Cleghorn made his way to Hawaiʻi in the 1850's. He was husband to Princess Likelike, sister of King David Kalakaua, and father to Princess Kaʻiulani — the last heir to the Hawaiian throne.
A.S. Cleghorn was the appointed Governor of Oahu, a merchant, and an avid horticulturist responsible for much of the notable landscape at Kapiolani Park, Thomas Square, and the banyan at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki. He also had a 100 acre coffee farm in the late 1800's in the Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo area.
We are blessed with such a rich heritage and feel responsible to be great stewards of the land while producing some of the finest Kona coffee.
Family First
Coffee farming on Hawaiʻi is generational work. Every harvest, every roast, every bag we ship reflects the hands of an extended family that has cared for this land for generations.
We are honored to continue that tradition — stewarding the soil, the trees, and the craft of producing exceptional Kona coffee that honors both our heritage and the people who taste it.
Visit the Estate
Tour our farm, taste our coffee, and meet the family. Private tours available year-round.
Book a Farm Tour