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Kona Hawaii Holiday Ornament - Coffee Cherry Branch

Kona Hawaii Holiday Ornament - Coffee Cherry Branch

Regular price $28.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $28.00 USD
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Red berries, glossy dark leaves — it looks like holly. Look again: those are ripe coffee cherries on a Kona coffee branch, and in Kona they really are red at Christmas.

Coffee came to Kona in 1828, when the missionary Samuel Ruggles carried cuttings of the arabica coffee plant over from Oʻahu and planted them in South Kona. The upland slopes — sunny mornings, cloudy afternoons, volcanic soil — suited it better than anywhere else in the islands. The trees bloom in early spring, and by late August the first cherries turn red. Each tree is hand-picked several times between August and January, which puts the harvest squarely across the holidays. In 1873 the Kona merchant Henry Nicholas Greenwell took the district's coffee to the Vienna World's Fair and came home with a diploma.

The harvest mattered so much that from 1932 until 1969, Kona's public schools held their long vacation from August through November so children could help their families pick. The branch on this ornament is the reason for all of it.

For coffee lovers and baristas, Kona coffee farm families and anyone who has driven the Kona coffee belt.

A three-inch faceted crystal ornament, the art printed on a white backing so the line work stays crisp and the facets catch the light. It comes in a white or gold gift box, ready to give, and is printed to order in the USA. Drawn as an 1880s-style botanical engraving; the ripe cherries are the only color.

3-inch faceted crystal glass · white-backed print · white or gold gift box · printed to order in the USA


QUICK FACTS — KAILUA-KONA HI CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — COFFEE CHERRY BRANCH

Town: Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi

Founded: Royal capital 1812–19

Known for: Kamehameha I’s last royal residence; Huliheʻe Palace (1838); Mokuʻaikaua Church, the oldest in Hawaiʻi; the Kona Coffee Belt

Art: Coffee Cherry Branch, original Merlin Classics engraving

Blank: 3-inch (76 mm) round clear crystal glass ornament, faceted gem-cut edge

Print: white-backed for contrast; red ribbon hanger

Packaging: white or gold gift box, chosen at checkout

Made to order in the USA



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Product FAQs

How does your sizing work?

Every item is made to order, so please check the size chart on this page before you buy. Women's fitted tees run small; size up for a looser fit. Caps are one size with an adjustable strap.

How are items made and when will they arrive?

We make each item to order using premium blanks, embroidery and soft-hand prints. Production takes 2-5 business days (weekends and holidays excluded), then 4-10 days in transit via USPS, UPS or FedEx to U.S. addresses; most orders arrive within 6-15 business days. You'll get a tracking link the moment it ships. Any current shipping offer is shown in the bar at the top of every page and applies automatically at checkout, no code needed.

How do I send a gift?

Enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and your own as the billing address at checkout. Nothing ships with a price; the package includes a plain packing slip. Tracking goes to your email, not theirs. For birthdays and holidays, order two weeks ahead to be safe.

What's the return policy?

Made-to-order items can't be returned or exchanged for size or color, so please use the size chart and photos before ordering. If anything arrives defective, misprinted or damaged, send a photo and your order number within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you.

How do I care for my item?

Apparel: wash cold, inside out, with like colors; no bleach; tumble dry low or hang dry. Embroidered pieces: iron inside out to protect the stitching. Caps: spot clean. Printed glasses and water bottles: hand wash only, no dishwasher, so the artwork lasts. Mugs and engraved glasses are dishwasher safe. Any item-specific care notes are in the description above.

Who makes this?

Merlin Classics is a small Connecticut brand making original retro designs for the towns people love. Every piece is printed, embroidered or engraved to order in the USA, and the business supports hunger relief in the communities our collections celebrate.

The coffee belt. On the slopes of Hualālai above the town, at 800 to 2,500 feet where morning sun gives way to afternoon cloud, lies the Kona Coffee Belt — the only place in the United States where coffee has been grown at commercial scale for more than a century. The belt was built largely by Japanese immigrant families who came to Hawaiʻi's plantations in the late 1800s and took up coffee land around Hōlualoa and the upland villages; many of those farms are still worked by their third- and fourth-generation descendants, alongside Filipino, Portuguese, and Native Hawaiian farming families. The November coffee festival that fills the town each year is the oldest food festival in Hawaiʻi — a harvest celebration for a crop that made Kona's name known on every café menu in the world.

Today Kailua-Kona is the Big Island's western front door: flights land at Kona International Airport on Hualālai's 1801 lava flow, Aliʻi Drive runs its bayfront mile of shops and restaurants between the palace and the pier, coffee-farm tours climb into the belt, and the calm leeward water that made Kailua Bay a royal anchorage now fills with snorkelers, paddlers, and — every October — the finish line of the Ironman World Championship at Kailua Pier. The town has never incorporated; like every Hawaiian community it is governed at the county level, a census-designated place of about 20,000 that serves as capital of the Kona coast in everything but paperwork.

Why People Visit Kailua-Kona Hawaiʻi

  • Tour Puuhonua o Honaunau, sacred refuge with temples and coastal lava platforms.
  • Walk Kaloko Honokohau paths, fishponds, petroglyphs, and quiet shoreline coves.
  • Visit Hulihee Palace, seaside residence with artifacts and galleries.
  • Stroll Alii Drive, palms, seawalls, and ocean viewpoints along the strip.
  • Stand by the Kailua Pier, boats and breezes over the turquoise bay.

Kona Hawaii Merlin Classics retro vintage logo featuring hibiscus motif