If you need a few cups of java every morning to rev up, you’re not alone. One hundred fifty million Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee daily (more than 140 billion cups annually), which makes the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the world, according to a Jan. 23 article “11 Coffee Stats That Will Blow You Away” on The Motley Fool website, fool.com.

Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries, from Vietnam to Venezuela, from India to Ivory Coast. Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee commercially, and Kauai Coffee accounts for about 50 percent of that production. It is the largest coffee estate in the country.

“We have 4 million coffee trees on 3,100 acres stretching from Eleele to Poipu,” said Susan Gray, one of the guides who lead a free walking tour for Kauai Coffee visitors. “All of our coffee is grown, harvested, processed, roasted and packaged right here, in one place. That’s why we’re called an estate.”

Kauai Coffee began in 1899 as McBryde Sugar Company. In 1987, recognizing that sugar was no longer the cash cow that it had been for a century, McBryde began switching its focus to coffee. It planted its first trees under the name Island Coffee that year, and the venture looked promising: The crop loved the tropical sun, gentle rain and fertile volcanic soil in south Kauai.

Five years later, however, Hurricane Iniki unleashed its fury on Kauai, causing $8.5 million in damage to Island Coffee. The young plantation rebuilt, replanted and emerged as Kauai Coffee Co.

Today, six varieties of arabica coffee flourish there: typica, acaia, yellow catuai, red catuai, blue mountain and mundo novo. Despite being a relative newcomer to the industry, Kauai Coffee has kept at the forefront of production technology and adheres to environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

For instance, a 2,500-mile drip irrigation system runs fertilizer and water from Mount Waialeale, one of the wettest places on Earth, to the roots of its trees. Cherry pulp, mulch from pruning, processing byproducts and organic waste from its visitor center are returned to the land as compost, reducing weeds and adding nutrients to the soil while increasing moisture retention.

Coffee starts as a delicate white flower, which typically blooms in February and March. Small round fruits then begin to form, which are visible from May through August. They turn yellow or red when they ripen, and the seeds of those “cherries” become the coffee beans that are familiar to consumers.

Kauai Coffee harvests cherries from September through December. Visit during that time and you’ll likely see 13 bright blue machines among seemingly endless rows of green. They’re actually blueberry harvesters equipped with long rods that knock off cherries as they pass over the trees.

“During harvest season, our workers are in the fields round the clock, seven days a week — a schedule that’s unique in the industry,” Gray said. “More than 500,000 pounds of cherries are collected every day.”

In short, a visit to Kauai Coffee is three great experiences rolled into one: an introduction to coffee history and cultivation; a tasting of the company’s full line of products, including flavored blends such as Coconut Caramel Crunch and Toasty Banana Nut Cream; and a place to relax and take in sweeping views of the expansive orchards, Kapalaoa mountains and cerulean sea and sky.

Celebrating coffee and more

Celebrate Hawaii’s coffee and chocolate industries at Hanapepe Park in Hanapepe town this Friday and Saturday. Hours for the Kauai Chocolate and Coffee Festival are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The festival includes live entertainment, demonstrations and workshops, a silent auction, keiki activities and food, craft and informational booths.

Kauai Coffee will be serving samples of coffee and iced mochas and sponsoring a Growing Coffee talk by general manager Fred Cowell at 5:30 p.m. Friday and a Coffee 101 presentation by coffee concierge and trainer Susan Gray Saturday at noon. Go to kauaichocolateandcoffeefestival.com for a complete schedule.

Admission to the festival is free; however, you must buy a ticket to receive special offers, a reusable tote bag and guaranteed samples of chocolate and coffee. Cost is $12 in advance online, $18 at the door.

On Saturday, Hanapepe also hosts the Princess Ka‘iulani Keiki Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event celebrates the life of the princess, who was the last heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian kingdom.

There will be hula, ballet, taiko drumming and slack-key guitar performances; a children’s costume parade; and a birthday party for kids at Storybook Theatre, 3814 Hanapepe Road, including games and cake. Admission is free. Details are at storybook.org/princess-kaiulani-festival-2017

Did you know?

>> In the 9th century, an Ethiopian boy noticed his goats were more active after they had eaten red berries from a certain evergreen tree. He took some of the fruit to a monk, who made a drink from them that kept him awake all night. That’s how legend says coffee and the effects of caffeine were discovered.

>> With 300,000 plantations, Brazil is the top coffee producer, claiming about one third of the global yield. It’s followed by Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

>> An arabica coffee tree will produce enough beans (about 4,000) for only about a pound of roasted coffee per year.

>> Expect to pay $600 per pound for kopi luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world. It’s made from beans eaten and excreted by the Asian palm civet, or luwak. The animal doesn’t digest the beans; rather, fermentation occurs, which results in a beverage that has been described as smooth, mellow and hinting of chocolate and caramel.

>> Contrary to what you might think, dark roast coffees have less caffeine than light roasts because the longer coffee is roasted, the more caffeine is “burned off.”

>> Decaffeinated does not mean caffeine-free. If you drink five to 10 cups of decaf coffee, you could get as much caffeine as you would in a cup or two of caffeinated coffee.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.