09/11/2026
The last few days have been absolutely nuts. I completely underestimated what this storm would do. Call it wishful thinking or just stupid arrogance. A friend texted me today and casually mentioned it was Thursday… and I realized I had no idea what day it was. That’s how it’s been.
Hurricane Lowell hit Monday night into early Tuesday. Since then it’s just been go go go. Parts of the island look like they’ve been hacked at by a giant machete. Photos don’t really capture it. The destruction is totally surreal.
Amazingly, there were very few injuries and possibly only one direct fatality. The aftermath is still severe. A lot of homes and businesses will need to be rebuilt. A lot of lives changed forever.
Thankfully, the entire Java Kai team made it through. And the shops, somehow, suffered very little damage. We were able to hand out a lot of food from our fridges before it went bad and hopefully that helped some people.
We still don’t have power at the coffee roastery or Kilauea shop, but that will come.
*side note: Apologies to anyone waiting for their online orders… Hopefully by Monday, we’ll be able to start sending things out again!
Don’t really know what the coming days look like or how exactly we’ll navigate it but I am super grateful I get to do this thing on Kauai. Not everyone gets to see and feel the magic here. Everyone stepping up to help each other and be of service all over this little island.
Mostly I’m proud of our JK Gang! They’re jumping in to clean, give out food and ice, and clearing roads in Poipu— all with smiles aloha and sweat. The second power came back on they were prepping, mixing, brewing, and baking. I’m loving every damn minute with this crew and they truly inspire me to keep on moving!
Finally, big ups to the hammer that dropped Taco Bell off today. Sometimes a run for the border really is the best temporary cure!
-Sean
