The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-10-10
TO CULTIVATE COFFEE.
THE ALOHA COMPANY HAS 800
ACRES ON HAWAII.
what u Director says-Plenty of None!
and Flattering Prospects
Ahead.

Australia last Saturday. Mr.. Gruetter
has been for many years in business at
Lincoln, Nebraska. He has a six-story
business house with seventy.five feet
front, and the amount of his sales foots
up into the hundreds of thousands in a
year. In Nebraska, in Kansas and
contiguous counties of other States his
stock of furnishings and hardware are
distributed.
Mr.. Witkowski, on the other hand,
is lumber dealer of Chicago, Illinois.
For many years he was manager for
several large Michigan firms in the
lake metropolis and out of the business
became wealthy. Now he is monarch
of all he surveys owning the estab
lshment which once claimed his atten-
ton as laborer.
But what is most interesting about
these two gentlemen is that they have
come to Hawaii for the purpose of in
vesting large sums of money IN the
development of the rich industries and
resources of the country. They are
going into the coffee business.
The fame of Kona coffee is not cofined
to Hawaii nor yet San Francisco, but
away up in the central States they have
heard of it, know its unexcelled qualities
and the profits to be derived from Its
cultivation. Messrs. Gruetter and Wit
kowski can talk Kona coffee almost as
glibly as Mr.. Joseph Marsden, though
they have been in this country but four
days and were never here before; and
they are long way from home.
Perhaps Mr.. Peck OF Honolulu may be
thanked for disseminating large part
of this information. The gentlemen
themselves seem grateful to Mr.. Peck
for his tuition in this line, and admit
that twas he who first interested them
in Kona coffee. Nor did Mr.. Peck
cease there. In Chicago are Messrs.
Tonk and Hurlbert, two wealthy BUSH
ness men, whose eyes are as much this
way as are those OF the two gentlemen
now here, and these were SO influenced
by the same person.
AS the fruits OF Mr.. Peck's work a
party of gentlemen met in Chicago last
summer and organized the Aloha Coffee
Company. The directors appointed at
that time were Messrs. Tonk, Hurlbert,
Gruetter, Witkowski and Peck.
The newspapers published accounts of
the formation of this company, but they
made one mistake. They said it was
capitalized at 100000. There is no
"watered" stock in the Aloha Company
it is all paid up, and the sum total is
precisely $ls0,O00. This will, of course,
be increased from time to time as ex-
penses begin to pile up.
Mr.. Gruettor was seen at the Ha-
waiian Hotel Tuesday afternoon and
spoke very freely on the subject of his
mission to Hawaii. In answer to ques
tions bearing upon the following topics
Mr.. Gruettor said:
Our company was organized for the
purpose of cultivating coffee in Hawaii
The promoters of the enterprise are al
business men with extensive interests il
various States. My headquarters are a
Lincoln, though my business frequently
takes me to Chicago, where majority
of the stockholders of the coffee com
pany reside. Every member of on
company is making money, and w
have no complaint to make of the pros
poets at home; but from what we hav,
ascertained of the outlook for coffee il
Hawaii, we think we are entering some
thing as good or better than can b.
found in the States.
"We have partial agreement fol
about 5000 acres of land near Hilo OF
Hawaii. Doubtless all of it will be re
auired, as we are going into the bus
ness on large scale; but more can
said on that line after we have visite
the property. Mr.. Peck is the onl
member of the firm who has reall
seen the property, and, as his judgmer
has been in great measure relied upo
we may be safe in claiming 5000 as OF
starter.
THE first thing to be done is the e
rection of house for our manager, II
work on which will begin witho'
delay. Next, we will proceed to cle'
and prepare 800 acres of land for coffe
and 100 acres for sansaviera, the latt
being product in which we ha'
recently become much intereste
This will be about as much as we CT
undertake the first year.
81 believe in diversified industri
and we will not confine ourselves
coffee alone by any means. The fib
plant sansaviera, will be cultivated
our plantation as extensively as d
profits in its production will guarant'
l have talked with the Commissioner
Agriculture upon the subject of its hi
its, cultivation, market value, etc, a
feel sure il is one of the coming ind'
tries of the country. From MIR. Marsd
l have received several specime
which will be forwarded to Ameri
there examined by experts, after VIII
we can calculate upon the advantaI
of its production.
"We hope to meet President Dole, J
Iaukea, Commissioner of Crown Ian
agents of other lands, and coffee plan
ton men on Hawaii. am going m
particularly to see Mr.. Rycroft,
Puma, who has a young coffee plan
ton, now about three years old
believe. From him l hope to gat
many points of valuable information
81 will return to the United States
the Alameda October 18th. MIR. '
kowski will remain until November
and then nrnceed via Vancouver to