Coffee Shed Stabilization Part 1
In the Kona region of Hawaii Island (aka The Big Island), enterprising families a couple generations ago (most of whom were of Japanese ancestry) were often engaged in various home-based businesses, including growing and processing coffee. Part of the coffee processing for many farmers was the drying of coffee beans to yield "parchment" which was then sold. Parchment The way coffee was most commonly dried was on the raised platform of a drying shed - locally known as a hoshidana - which is Japanese for drying shelf or platform . These sheds were almost as numerous as coffee farmers but over the years many of the hoshidanas have been torn down or fell down. This is a great loss, as the hoshidana is a showcase of thrift, ingenuity, and mechanical wizardry and a testament to the dedication of the coffee farming families that operated them. So, what distinguishes a hoshidana from a typical farm shed? First, at the top plate level there is a drying platform that covers the entir...