Not too bitter, not too sweet. This subtle flavor, a divergence from chain café sugar highs common today and expertly blending both Eastern and Western traditions, is what will greet you as you step through the doors of Downtown Coffee. A small boutique coffee shop nestled in a quiet corner of bustling downtown Honolulu, Fred and Fumiko Hokada, DC’s owners and masterminds behind the local brand, deal exclusively in the acquisition, roasting and sale of 100% local Hawaiian coffee beans. Fred roasts the beans onsite to guarantee superior freshness, while wife Fumiko uses Pacific Gateway Center’s baking kitchens to whip up cakes and sweets that complement each blend while also paying homage to her Japanese roots.

Coffee, like many of the plants and people populating our islands today, is an immigrant. Dating back to plantation days when the governor of Oahu introduced the first plants from Brazil, it has over time become a local staple we just can’t do without. Fred, a Japanese-American born and raised on O’ahu whose family history shares a similar trajectory, expressed how important it is for him to source his beans from the land where he grew up.

“We started by shipping in beans from [outside Hawaii], but it’s so much easier to work with local farmers. Now we are 100% local- our coffee arrives directly from Maui, Oahu, & the Big Island.”

Since the blends available in Hawaii are not as diverse as what might be available outside the islands, Fred and Fumiko make their own one of a kind “Made in Hawaii” approved blends, which can be enjoyed at their Fort Street Mall location conveniently, well, downtown.

Fumiko, who emigrated to Hawaii from Japan as an adult, also offers customers a revolving selection of her handmade baked goods, pairing traditional western sweets like tarts and cakes with Japanese flavors. The result? A unique, lower sugar treat that is at the same time familiar and exotic, offering novelty to both daily patrons and tourists visiting from abroad alike.

“We want to be a bridge,” said the couple, “between your local corner café and a specialty coffee shop; gourmet quality, but quickly and at a reasonable price”.

Downtown Coffee.jpg — “Now we are 100% local.”

Fred and Fumiko have bridged many such divides in their decade of running Downtown Coffee, and will continue connecting customers with great coffee and sweets they can feel good about while supporting local agriculture for many more years to come. Visit them at Downtown Coffee at 900 Fort Street Mall #100, Honolulu, HI 96813 or shop their unique Hawaiian coffee roasts online at http://www.dtcoffee.com/shop.