Aloha Keala's journey with coffee began in 2006, when he moved to New York City to pursue a career in art. It was the height of the third wave coffee movement, and while searching for work in a creative environment, he landed a job as a barista in the West Village.

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To stay grounded, Keala kept close ties to his Hawaiian roots—cooking local dishes, dancing hula, and weaving island traditions into his fast-paced city life. But one thing was missing: the coffee he grew up drinking in Hawai‘i. Even after years in the coffee industry, he couldn’t find those familiar island flavors in NYC.

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So he decided to change that.

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After nearly a year of blending, roasting, and tasting, he crafted Keala’s Blend—his first Hawaiian coffee blend. That blend became the seed of something bigger: Kau Kau.

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Today, Kau Kau is more than coffee—it's a bridge between Hawai‘i and New York, rooted in culture, creativity, and connection.

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Want to hear the full story? Come “talk story” with Keala—aka The Guerrilla Barista—at one of our events or pop-ups.