Kaua’i Coffee Company have cultivated more than coffee. They have built one of Hawai i's most iconic agricultural operations rooted in the land, sustained by local labor, and supporting hundreds of families across Kauai's West Side. Today, that legacy faces serious uncertainty. 

A Threat Emerges
News of potential trouble first reached the union in late December, just before the holidays. At the time, it was still a rumor - unsettling but unclear. That uncertainty turned real on January 7, when Kaua'i Coffee representatives testified before the Kaua'i County Council and confirmed that the company's land lease is set to expire on March 28, 2026. 

The stakes are enormous. Kaua'i Coffee employs 141 workers, many of them long-term union members. The plantation spans roughly 3,000 acres and maintains four million coffee trees. It is a fully integrated operationgrowing, harvesting, roasting, processing, and packaging all on site. Packing up and leaving is not a realistic option.

The reason? Kaua'i Coffee does not own the land it operates on. 

Who Owns the Land and Why It Matters 
The land beneath Kaua'i Coffee was historically owned by Alexander & Baldwin, which sold the property in 2022 to Brue Baukol Capital Partners (BBCP), a Colorado-based real estate investment firm. 

BBCP leases the land to Kaua'i Coffee. If the lease expires without renewal, the company loses the legal right to operateputting all 141 jobs at risk.

This raised immediate concerns within the union and the broader Kaua'i community. BBCP is not an agricultural operator. It is a capital investment firm and the owner of Kukui'ula, a luxury resort and residential development serving ultra-wealthy buyers. BBCP is now among the largest private landowners on Kaua'i. 

With little public information about BBCP's intentions, workers were left facing profound uncertainty.

Union Responds: Job Security and Transparency 
On January 13, Chris West, President of ILWU Local 142, issued a public statement calling out the lack of clarity and demanding accountability. 
"These workers did not create this situation, " West said. "They grow, harvest, roast, package, and distribute Kaua'i Coffee—a fully integrated agricultural operation built by local people over decades." 

West emphasized that this was not just a labor issue, but a question of Kaua'i's future. 
"Agricultural lands are increasingly seen as opportunities for high-end development... in the absence of transparency, the risk to working families is real and profound." 

The statement made clear: the union would not allow 141 families to be left in the dark.

Shortly afterward, BBCP released its own public statement, saying it was negotiating the lease with Kaua'i Coffee and that regardless of the outcome, it intended to maintain operations and retain employees who wished to stay. While reassuring, union leadership stressed that nothing is final until it is in writing.

Members Organize and Learn Their Rights 
To support the Kaua'i division, the Local assigned John Simpliciano, who worked with division leadership to organize a response. 

A full membership meeting was held January 20 on the Kaua'i Coffee property, attended by President West, Division Director Rhonda Morris, and Business Agents Chad Pacheco and Tyson Moises.

At the meeting, members spoke candidly about their fears: losing seniority, retirement security, healthcare, and ultimately their livelihoods. This is where critical union education took place. 

Simpliciano explained that no matter how this situation unfolds, union members have enforceable rights. If the lease expires and Kaua'i Coffee is unable to operate, the union would enter effects bargaining-negotiating over medical coverage, severance, and transition benefits. The union would also work with other union employers on Kaua'i and with state agencies to help place displaced workers into new jobs.

If operations were sold or transferred to BBCP, effects bargaining would again apply-along with efforts to maintain union representation under a new employer and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement Members left the meeting still concerned-but no longer alone. 

Preparing for All Scenarios 
To remain proactive, the Local prepared banners and yard signs reading "Save Kaua'i Coffee Jobs", ready to deploy between Lihu'e and Kalaheo if public pressure became necessary. 

Within days, BBCP reached out to the union requesting a meeting. That meeting took place on January 22, where BBCP representatives again stated their intention to keep all current employees. A written summary of that meeting was sent to Kaua'i Coffee members on January 23. 

With no lease agreement yet finalized, the union continued organizing. A second membership meeting was held on February 2, focused on preparation should effects bargaining become necessary. Although the existing contract includes severance language, members were educated that effects bargaining can go beyond the contract minimums. At the meeting, members developed proposals and discussed priorities, ensuring they were ready for any outcome while remaining united and organized. 

Standing Together 

As of this writing, Kaua'i Coffee and BBCP remain in negotiations. No lease has been finalized. But the workers are prepared, the union is organized, and the message is clear. 

As President West said in his statement: 
"An injury to one is an injury to all. Every ILWU member across these islands stands with the workers of Kaua'i Coffee." 

ILWU Local 142 will continue fighting — at the bargaining table, in the community, and wherever necessary — until these workers and their families have real certainty and real security.