John King has been in the coffee business for well over twenty years.
Based in Redwood City, California, his family owns and operates Harold L. King & Co. which was founded by John’s father in 1958. Harold L. King & Co. is one of the oldest, largest and most respected coffee importing companies in the nation. As an importer of green specialty coffees from around the world, John has acquired a unique breadth of knowledge in all facets of the coffee trade. As a third generation coffee importer, John grew up around the business and coffee has become a natural part of his daily environment. Over the years, John has cupped thousands of samples of coffees from all around the world and has developed an extensive and practical knowledge of the science.

David Holfve
Gevalia Kaffe Judge

David is currently Quality Manager for the plant in Sweden who produces the Gevalia brand. The last three years he has worked as Willy Petterssons apprentice and took over his role as Mastertaster for Gevalia in May this year. He started his Career at Gevalia in 1997 as a project engineer but quickly showed interest for the world of coffee and moved into quality in 1998 where he showed great cupping skills. In 2004 he moved to Paris, France, for an assignment in procurement. By 2005 he was back in Gävle as "head cupper" for the Nordic Coffee business.He participated at his first Kona Cupping Competition two years ago as a Guest Judge and we are honored to have him return this year for the 2009 Kona Classic Cupping Competition.

Sherri Johns, has 30 years in the specialty coffee industry and began her career as a barista in San Francisco in 1976. She was recognized as Champion Barista in SF 1982, 1983 and 1985. Sherri is an astute coffee cupper as noted by her placement as Head Judge for the esteemed Cup of Excellence program. As assistant to George Howell in Brazil 2003, then Head Judge for 2005 - 2006 Cup of Excellence programs in Honduras, Colombia and El Salvador. Sherri has lead cupping sessions for Specialty Coffee Association of America, Specialty Coffee Association of India, Brazil Specialty Coffee Association participated as a cupper at Sintercafe in Costa Rica and lead numerous private cupping sessions. We welcome back Sherri to the 2009 Kona Cupping Panel of Judges.

Copyright 2000-2009 Gevalia Kaffe. File photos property of their respective companies. Images provided by Food Network and Touchdown Productions from the 2001 Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. All rights reserved

Masahiro Yamamichi joined UCC in 1991, and ever since, has been actively involved in promoting and maintaining UCC's rigorous quality standards for green beans and final products. He holds “Classificadore” license, the most prestigious honor for coffee cupping in Brazil and also is certified as “SCAA cupping judge” and “Q grader”. Mr. YAMAMICHI is now working at UCC Rokko Island Factory, and is in charge of the quality inspection of a wide range of green beans imported from more than twenty countries to ensure product safety for consumers. He is one of the top cuppers among 23 Classificadores in UCC, and his abundant experience and wide knowledge makes him a fair and reliable judge of this cupping contest. We are happy to have Mr. Yamamichi join us for his first Gevalia Kona Cupping Contest.