Kona coffee farm tours
Three Kona coffee farms with tours and tastings on the Big Island of Hawaii: free at Greenwell Farms and Mountain Thunder, 35 dollars per person at Hula Daddy.
Kona coffee grows on the western slopes of the Island of Hawaii, the Big Island, above the coast around Kailua-Kona. Many of the farms open to visitors, and three are compared here: Greenwell Farms, Hula Daddy Kona Coffee and Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation. Two of them offer free guided tours. The third charges 35 dollars per person for an hour with a tasting.
The three farms side by side
| Farm | Tour | Price | Length | Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwell Farms | free guided farm tour, coffee to sample before and after | free | 45 to 60 minutes | 81-6581 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua |
| Hula Daddy Kona Coffee | coffee experience tour with a tasting of its estate coffee | 35 dollars per person, two people minimum | 60 minutes | 74-4944 Mamalahoa Highway, Holualoa |
| Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation | free guided educational tour with a tasting | free | about 20 minutes | 73-1944 Hao Street, Kailua-Kona |
- Greenwell Farms says its free guided tours were inspired by the Napa Valley wine tours. A tour lasts 45 to 60 minutes, and coffee is available to sample before and after.
- Hula Daddy runs a one-hour tour of its farm with a tasting of its estate Kona coffee, for 35 dollars per person, by reservation and for two people at least.
- Mountain Thunder offers free guided tours from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, seven days a week, according to its site. A tour takes about 20 minutes.
How to choose
- On a budget, the two free tours give a first look at a coffee farm, with a taste of its coffee.
- For a longer tasting, Hula Daddy’s paid hour goes further.
- Short on time, Mountain Thunder’s 20 minutes fit between two other stops.
What to taste
Kona coffee is an arabica grown only in the Kona districts of the island, on volcanic soil at altitude. At a tasting, compare roasts side by side, and ask about peaberry, the rarer round bean that some farms sell apart. The harvest runs from late summer into winter.
Practical tips for Kona coffee farm tours
- Drive. The farms are upslope from the coast, most of them on or near the Mamalahoa Highway: a car is the practical way to visit two or three in a day.
- Book the paid tour. Hula Daddy works by reservation. For the free tours, check each farm’s page for the day’s hours before you drive up.
- Flying in. Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport is north of Kailua-Kona.
- Prices change. The figures here were read on the farms’ own sites on 4 October 2026.
Budget
A morning at the two free farms costs nothing but fuel and the coffee you take home. Two people at Hula Daddy pay 70 dollars, the farm’s two-person minimum.
Combine with
On the US mainland, Napa Valley, whose wine tours inspired Greenwell’s free tours, has its own page of winery visits with tastings.
Sources
- Greenwell Farms: farm tours (free guided tours, length, sampling, address) consulted on October 4, 2026
- Hula Daddy Kona Coffee: visitor center and tasting room (tour length, price, address) consulted on October 4, 2026
- Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation: free tours (hours, length, address) consulted on October 4, 2026
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