Ben and Deb Discoe live on a family farm in Ahualoa.  We grow our own food, keep chickens for eggs, and began a field of tea in 2006, with our first harvest in the summer of 2009.  Our tea field covers less than half an acre, at 2500' elevation.

Our methods are completely sustainable - no fertilizers, no pesticides or herbicides. Ben makes large amounts of compost from all local sources - macnut husks, manure from our chickens, grass trimmings, shredded shrubbery.  Along with crushed rock, this is the only input the tea receives.  Everything else is sunlight and our abundant rainfall.

At this elevation on the wet side of the Big Island of Hawaii, conditions are nearly perfect for growing tea.  The elevation causes the tea to grow a little slower and develop more flavor.  The cool misty tradewinds keep the tea happy, as it is a moisture-loving plant.  Our field is surrounded by giant bamboo, white ginger, a jacaranda, cypress and sugi trees.  There are three koa trees inside the field, casting gentle shade.

You can read the whole history of our tea field in the tea pages of our blog, and there are many picture in our photo albums Tea 2007, Tea 2008, Tea 2009, and Tea 2010.