The Brew Cafe Brings Kona Coffee to the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic

Previous sites of care were not built with space for a canteen, but the Akaka clinic follows a newer design model that integrates areas for Veterans to socialize when they come for appointments. VAPIHCS staff are also able to purchase food at the new café, which is a Veteran-owned family business with a wonderful story behind it. 

“When I got the initial email inviting us to bid for the place in the Akaka clinic I wondered if it was a scam,” said co-owner and Air Force spouse Nicolette Bartolome. “It sounded too good to be true.  We actually had a food truck called Munchiez by Sweet Pea Cafe back in 2013, and when my husband got word he was getting deployed a few years later, we decided to sell it, in hope that we could start another business in the future.  So to have this opportunity means a lot to us.”

Bartolome and her family run Lineage Coffee Company, which represents five generations of her family’s hard work and dedication to farming their land on the Big Island in Kona.  Her family has handed down knowledge of the land, and how to care for the coffee trees. 
Bartolome wanted to expand their business from farming into retail which was when the Lineage Coffee Website was created. It is an e-commerce store where people can purchase 100% Kona Coffee directly from her family’s farm.

At her store in the Akaka clinic, Bartolome sells grab-and-go items. Some are made fresh daily. She sources everything she can from local Hawaiian businesses. Most of the pastries in the display case come from Honolulu Baking Company.  Bartolome also offers a unique drink called an Affogato which features Dave’s Hawaiian Ice Cream with espresso poured over it. The drink is inspired by their favorite coffee drink which originated in Italy.  They love it so much that they served it in their food truck and decided to include it on The Brew Cafe menu. 

“We have always wanted a brick-and-mortar location,” Bartolome said. “It’s awesome that the opportunity presented itself.  My grandfather, my husband, and my in-laws are all Veterans, so we’re a military family that is proud to be serving Veterans.” 

Due to limited space, The Brew Cafe is only able to offer a moderate-sized menu of grab-and-go items like sandwiches, salads, and pastries. However, they do weekly specials to keep it interesting -and of course- the focus is on the coffee. They sell the Lineage Trio, which is a sample pack, as well as 8-ounce bags of coffee from their farm, in addition to a variety of made-to-order coffee drinks. For VAPIHCS, having an in-house canteen is a step towards modernization as mainland VA clinic designs, services, and concepts continue to be brought to the Pacific Islands to create the best possible experience for Veterans.