When Brazen Hazen founders Cassandra Hazen and her husband Paul were looking at retiring, the island of Hawaii was already beckoning them home. After years of rejuvenating visits, the couple bought a house by the beach and their early retirement days were spent soaking up sunshine and getting in rounds of golf. But after a while, it became clear that Cassandra needed something more.

Her husband knew before she did, she needed a project. Being in Kona, which is world renowned for coffee, Paul suggested they buy a coffee farm. Neither one knew a thing about growing coffee; nevertheless, the search for a property began.

When Cassandra first set eyes on the property in Holualoa in 2005, the coffee fields were overgrown, and the various buildings were in disrepair, but even then, something about the land felt special. Originally built in the late 1970s as a private residence, the main building on the property had been repurposed into an inn, but at the time was more akin to a hostel for backpackers.

The amount of work required to restore the coffee farm and repair the inn was daunting. Her family told her she was crazy to attempt it. Cassandra looked for some kind of sign that she was making the right choice. During a walk along the beach, she noticed a green sea turtle (Honu) basking in the sun. In Hawaii, sea turtles are a form of 'aumakua, a deified ancestor taking on a physical form to provide wisdom and guidance. She told herself, if the turtle was in the same place the following day, it would serve as a cosmic sign she was on the right path. Sure enough, the turtle returned the following day, and Cassandra knew in her heart she had found the place she was meant to be.

To Cassandra, taking over property was first and foremost, a land preservation endeavor. "It's a special place that needs to be cared for," she says. "I feel it."

It took years to renovate, refurbish and restore the property and adjoining buildings. The process proved physically and emotionally overwhelming at times. Cassandra remembers many tired nights, collapsing on the verge of tears, wondering if she was doing the right thing. But the labor was heartfelt, and she persisted, eventually opening the Holualoa Inn bed and breakfast and founding Brazen Hazen coffee.

"This is something loved," says Cassandra. Whether it is the landscaping, the building itself or all the small interior details, the goal for the property was to show that it was cared for. "Leave a place better than you found it," says Cassandra.

The care of the property echoes the Hawaiian ideology of Aloha 'Āina or, literally, love of the land. In understanding Aloha 'Āina, Dr. Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, Dean of Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge describes it as a relationship not just with the land, but really with nature itself, particularly land that sustains life.

"The relationship to land is deeply connected," he says. "It is familial, and it incurs powerful kinds of obligations and responsibilities—kuleana we call them—and also a sense of real dependence in the way that children depend on parents and grandparents."

Cassandra sees herself as a caretaker and steward of the property, with kuleana to the historic elements of the property and its role as a sustaining farm. Working with the Kona Historical Society and calling on the expertise of a Hawaiian cleric, special attention has been given to honor and respect the land and its archeological sites.

By working and caring for the land, it showcases and preserves it for the future. Maintenance of the coffee farm and the Holualoa Inn bed and breakfast on property gives the land renewed purpose. This gives Brazen Hazen coffee drinkers and inn visitors a way to interact with the property by which they can contribute to its living history.

Cassandra's familial responsibility for the property is also deeply personal as the farm and business have become a multi-generational endeavor. The reigns of the Brazen Hazen business have passed to her son, David Duron, who works to honor his mother's legacy.

"We are the beneficiaries of the amazing work that my mom started close to 20 years ago," says David, who aims to continue her stewardship using Brazen Hazen coffee as a vessel to share and perpetuate the unique story of the property.

"That is why we used the honu [sea turtle] in our logo," says David, "to make sure we remember her conversation with the one on the beach."

Land, when cared for, holds power. Not just for its ability to feed and sustain the body, but for its ability to foster a sense of connectedness that feeds the spirit. We hope that when you drink Brazen Hazen coffee, you feel the love and care it has been given, and in turn feel nourished by that power.