In the latest settlement struck in a legal action that saw coffee growers on Hawaii accuse major retailers of selling counterfeit Kona coffee, Safeway, Albertsons and the owner of two other large Northwest grocery chains have agreed to change the way they label their products.
Farmers from the Big Island's Kona district, an area known for its richly flavored coffee, sued more than 20 companies in February 2019 after a lab test reportedly confirmed long-held suspicions that beans being marketed as Kona coffee weren't actually from the iconic region.
After roughly two years of interviews, reviews of legal documents and negotiations, a federal judge in Seattle granted preliminary approval for settlements with Kroger, which owns QFC and Fred Meyer, as well as the parent company of Safeway and Albertsons and a Honolulu-based roaster. That settlement, inked this month, follows eight others and brings the total settlement amount to $15.25 million. The settlements secured agreements requiring many of the companies to change how they label their products.
