Investing time, research and years of experimentation is brewing up success for 39-year-old entrepreneur Mark Kove, who says, “It’s okay to dream big and then dream even bigger, but the key is patience when you’re starting a small business. Things don’t happen overnight!”
While his fascination with latte art was the catalyst for his interest in pursuing coffee roasting as a career, his dream was to connect the community by bringing people together for conversation and outstanding coffee grown in the islands—primarily coffee cultivated on Hawai'i Island.
“For me, coffee is all about creating relationships and spreading aloha,” Mark says.
He tags coffee grower Ben Fitt, owner of Outpost Coffee farm on Kauai, as his mentor and greatest influence. Learning about Ben’s philosophy and his business during online research inspired Mark, who says, “Ben was what I wanted to become as a roaster; he was extremely farmer-focused, believing each coffee varietal has a story and always giving credit to the hard work of the farmers.”
Launching his coffee company in Kona in early 2020, just as the Covid 19 pandemic was beginning to upend businesses worldwide, Mark embraced the challenge with an amazingly positive attitude.
“At the time I thought, ‘What possibly could happen worse than this? It can only go up from here,’” he says.
And up it went, a trajectory that’s continuing today. Now entering its sixth year, the business has evolved from one small coffee cart set up at outdoor farmers' markets during pandemic years to a charming white trailer that fronts Petals & Provisions boutique in Hōlualoa. And now, coming soon, a brick-and-mortar café is about to open in the heart of Kailua-Kona.
“We’re targeting April for the opening, but there’s still much to be done. We’re super excited about the location (Aliʻi Plaza on the makai corner of Kuakini and Hualalai Roads) as it offers abundant free parking in front and back—convenient for residents—and it will also benefit from heavy foot traffic—specifically those visitors exploring nearby Aliʻi Drive and environs,” Mark says.
The café has 700 square feet of interior space and 800 square feet of shaded exterior, providing seating for about 40. Of course, grab-and-go orders will be available as well, according to Mark. He says the menu will differ from current offerings in Hōlualoa. Those offerings include a variety of hot and cold beverages—teas, coffee and matcha—and sweet and savory pastries from his longtime supplier, Hōlualoa-based Sundog Bread—a local favorite.
“At the Kailua-Kona café, our focus will be exclusively on specialty pour-over coffees and espresso drinks; a small selection of savory food bites crafted on-site and created to complement the brews also will be available,” he says. The food menu has yet to be finalized, but will include items such as Sundog sourdough toast topped with local avocados.
“Sundog proprietor Wesley Ervin shares our same dedication to quality and experimentation—he and his team are always coming up with new bread, pastry and pizza creations. We’ve become good friends over the years,” Mark says.
With extraordinary quality, not quantity, always at the forefront, Mark partners with small, like-minded specialty growers in the Kona and Kaʻū districts.
“Kona has earned worldwide recognition for its distinctive, high-quality coffee, and we are proud to partner with three small farms there. But we also want to showcase the outstanding coffee grown in Hawaiʻi Island’s lesser-known Kaʻū district—it’s sort of Kona’s forgotten sister,” Mark says.
His current growers include Kraig Lee, Kona Farm Direct; Lit Buarsiyottiya, Kona Rainforest; Franck Carrisey, Uluwehi Farm, Kona; and Delvin Navarro, Navarro Farm, Kaʻū.
Prior to the devastating fires on Maui in 2023, Mark also sourced beans from one grower there, and this year, he says they may have enough inventory again to provide White Nene with some of their extraordinary beans. Good news, yet White Nene’s focus remains on Big Island-grown coffee, according to Mark.
And for good reason, his very first coffee bean supplier, Delvin of Navarro Farm in Ka‘ū, was named champion of the 2025 Hawai'i Coffee Association’s top grower award.
“We are so happy for Delvin—quite an achievement to be selected as the champion among all of the great growers in our state,” Mark says.
Always humble, Mark neglects to mention that his efforts resulted in his reputation as one of Hawai'i’s most outstanding, progressive coffee roasters, as honored by the U.S. Roasting Competition in 2023 as Hawaiian Regional Champion—only three years into his new career!
“Delvin and I immediately connected—we both love exploring different coffee varieties and experimenting with different fermenting techniques. I heard about a grower in South America using pineapples for fermentation and another grower trying out Champagne yeast; Delvin was all in when I suggested we try it,” Mark says.
Today, the dream continues. Following the opening of the White Nene Café, Mark is looking to the future—a move that will take his small roastery and processing facility in Kailua-Kona’s Old Industrial Area to more spacious accommodations.
A larger space, he says, will not only increase roasting capacity but will provide an opportunity for his team to offer educational tours, host intimate latte art workshops, cupping events and more.
We say, dream on, Mark—here’s to your continued success!