Kauai Coffee names Mark Bogner as new general manager

Kauai Coffee Company named Mark Bogner its new general manager on July 14, putting a veteran agricultural operator in charge of one of Kauai’s most visible farm businesses. Bogner brings more than 30 years of experience in agricultural operations and will succeed Brian Kubicki, who had been serving as acting general manager for the past year.

The appointment lands at a critical moment for the 3,100-acre coffee farm on Kauai’s west side. On June 25, Kauai Coffee and Brue Baukol Capital Partners finalized a new long-term agricultural lease that the company said secured the future of the historic farm and kept local employees employed. That came after months of uncertainty, including January warnings that 136 employees could be affected if the lease expired.

For Kauai County, the leadership change reaches beyond a single office job. Kauai Coffee grows, roasts and packages coffee on its Hawaii estate, making day-to-day management central to labor planning, harvest timing, field maintenance and the visitor-facing side of the business. A steady general manager can shape how the company handles staffing, customer experience and the pace of operations around south and west Kauai as the farm settles into its new lease structure.

Bogner’s background points toward that kind of operational continuity. Industry listings identify him as a farm operations manager in Kekaha, placing him on the west side where Kauai Coffee’s land and much of the island’s agricultural activity are concentrated. For a company that depends on crop cycles, logistics and on-the-ground decision-making, that kind of experience matters as much as corporate oversight.

The change also follows a period in which Kauai Coffee has been trying to reassure the community about its long-term direction. The company says it has been part of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group since 2011 and describes itself as a true Hawaiian coffee estate that grows, roasts and packages coffee on-island. It also says its 100% Hawaiian coffee is triple certified by Fair Trade USA, the Rainforest Alliance and the Non-GMO Project.

Kauai Coffee has also continued to lean on its brand strength. In 2025, the company said it was voted Best Hawaiian Coffee Grower in the HAWAII Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards for the tenth time. With the lease resolved and Bogner stepping in as a permanent general manager, the farm is moving from uncertainty toward a more settled operating structure.