Catering Specialty Coffees
Lana and Kyle Fuller, owners of Kope Coffee Company. Photo courtesy Lana and Kyle Fuller
We all know some of us need that cup of Joe each morning in order to function properly, while others just simply enjoy the intriguing aroma and taste of good coffee. And while there are corporate coffee chain locations seemingly everywhere these days, Kyle and Lana Fuller, husband-and-wife team and owners of Kope Coffee Company, are bringing a new concept to the local forefront.
“Kope Coffee was founded this past January and is a specialty coffee catering company. While working for another catering company and doing a lot of coffee-related events, I thought I could improve upon their model by developing coffee as a niche of catering,” says Kyle, a Colorado native who recently graduated from UH Manoa with a degree in philosophy. “A quick visit to Google showed that specialty coffee catering was already popular on the Mainland. Excited by the prospect, I looked to bring a similar service to Hawaii.”
Kope Coffee Company focuses solely on catering, and the menu centers around none other than coffee, of course. As a specialty coffee provider and catering company, Kope Coffee strives to produce the best possible coffee product. According to the Fullers, all blends are obtained from Koko Crater Coffee Roasters, which does all of its roasting right here in the Islands.
“Specialty coffee is not only delicious, but responsibly sourced and professionally prepared,” Kyle explains. “It’s not the coffee from your kitchen, it’s coffee produced with the precision of science and the passion of art. As a caterer, we look to provide a fantastic overall experience to our clients and their guests. We have a customized, easy ordering process. We pride ourselves on being efficient, reliable and friendly.”
Kope Coffee Company can bring its coffee services to anywhere on Oahu and accepts bookings anytime of year. A phone line also is always open to accept orders or consultations. The Fullers say their business is perfect for those who function as an event planner or organizer, and the coffee services are appropriate for a wide variety of events and occasions, such as weddings, parties, business conferences, open houses, employee appreciations and more.
“We bring our specialty beverage bars to an event and then function as an ‘open bar’ for as long as our clients need us to be there,” Kyle says. “Our bars include espresso bar, tea bar and Italian soda bar, etc. We also are able to provide accompanying food items such as fruit, pastries and desserts if our clients would like to have a breakfast event or perhaps a dessert party.”
Kyle and Lana are the primary workers for the company, with Kyle as lead barista, but there are several other event helpers and baristas who function on an on-call basis.
“We bring the elegance, fun and delicious coffee to your special event, and we are looking forward to getting more and more involved with Honolulu’s event scene. There’s a lot of great events going on in Honolulu, and we can’t wait to become a part of them,” Kyle states. “Right now, we are looking to build a strong client list, perfect our craft and become a recognized name in local coffee.
“We love getting to work on the real ‘action’ level of our business. When you’re working for someone else, it’s sometimes hard to appreciate how your tasks fit into the ‘machine,’ but when it’s your business, you see everything that’s going on and see the actual impact of your hard work in action,” he says.
For more information on Kope Coffee Company, call 256-1918, email info@kopecoffee.com or visit kopecoffee.com.
