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Blaze razes building holding coffee business

By Rod Thompson

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 01, 2009

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HILO » Fire destroyed the Sacred Grounds Coffee Farm building and Paradise Pottery Studio in South Kona Tuesday night, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

On the Net

» www.sacredgroundscoffee-farm.com
The two-story building on Mamalahoa Highway near Captain Cook was a "complete loss," the Fire Department said. The cause was not immediately known.

Business owner Bill Buckingham said he and his wife, Jane, were away from the site at the time, about 7:30 p.m.

"We're just kind of in shock," he said yesterday. Their home, in a separate building on the grounds of their coffee farm, and a guest house were not damaged by the fire. However, electrical and water connections linked to the business building were disrupted.

The business building was built in the 1930s, Buckingham said. A coffee-drying and process area was on the first floor, and the coffee, crafts and pottery store were on the second floor.

The point of the two businesses was to provide a place for people to gather, stay for a few hours and drink coffee while looking at the Pacific far downslope from the farm, he said.

Only three or four cars per day might stop by, he said.

"It wasn't about the business thing. It was about showing what we do," he said.

The businesses were insured, but he and his wife have not decided about rebuilding.

The name Sacred Grounds refers to coffee grounds and to the couple's Christian faith. "Just pray for us," Buckingham asked.

HILO » Fire destroyed the Sacred Grounds Coffee Farm building and Paradise Pottery Studio in South Kona Tuesday night, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

On the Net

» www.sacredgroundscoffee-farm.com
The two-story building on Mamalahoa Highway near Captain Cook was a "complete loss," the Fire Department said. The cause was not immediately known.

Business owner Bill Buckingham said he and his wife, Jane, were away from the site at the time, about 7:30 p.m.

"We're just kind of in shock," he said yesterday. Their home, in a separate building on the grounds of their coffee farm, and a guest house were not damaged by the fire. However, electrical and water connections linked to the business building were disrupted.

The business building was built in the 1930s, Buckingham said. A coffee-drying and process area was on the first floor, and the coffee, crafts and pottery store were on the second floor.

The point of the two businesses was to provide a place for people to gather, stay for a few hours and drink coffee while looking at the Pacific far downslope from the farm, he said.

Only three or four cars per day might stop by, he said.

"It wasn't about the business thing. It was about showing what we do," he said.

The businesses were insured, but he and his wife have not decided about rebuilding.

The name Sacred Grounds refers to coffee grounds and to the couple's Christian faith. "Just pray for us," Buckingham asked.

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