Hawaiian coffee farmer donates over $35K in coffee beans to OSU

Monday, June 9, 2008

Alumnus donates more than 1,500 pounds of coffee beans to upscale university restaurant
 
(Stillwater, Okla. June 9, 2008) – A coffee farmer and Oklahoma State University (OSU) alumnus has donated over 1,500 pounds of Dr. Paulo’s Kona Coffee & Macadamia Nut Farms coffee beans, valued at more than $35,000, to be served at the Ranchers Club, an upscale dining and teaching facility on OSU’s Stillwater campus.

Paul Sterling, who holds three degrees from OSU including a 1966 doctorate in entomology, and his wife Mary Belle, a 1964 OSU business graduate, began farming Kona coffee in 1999 with one small farm.  One farm grew to 10 totaling 100 acres of coffee and macadamia trees on the volcanic hillsides of Hawaii’s west coast.  

 “Dr. Paulo’s Coffee represents my ties to the earth and now I can share that love with my other love - OSU,” Paul says. “The term ‘ohana means love and loyalty.  Giving to OSU is a way for me to express ‘ohana to my alma mater.”

When Sterling heard of plans to upgrade hotel and restaurant facilities on the Oklahoma State University campus, he felt it would present an opportunity for him and his family to give something unique and rare to the university – Kona Coffee. Renovations to the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration’s Atherton Hotel had begun and plans for the Ranchers Club were in progress when a group of OSU officials traveled to Hawaii to visit with the Sterlings.

“OSU regent Dr. Claude Evans, who was part of the [visiting] group, was intrigued with the coffee plantation and excited about the prospects for the hospitality school. He suggested we consider donating coffee as a way to support OSU,” Sterling says. “There aren’t many OSU coffee farmers.”

Paul’s first gift of 50 pounds of premier coffee beans was made in November 2005 with the family’s generosity increasing to more than 1,500 pounds donated to date.

Richard Ghiselli, director of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, says Paul’s gift allows students to realize the hospitality industry extends beyond the walls of hotels and restaurants.

“We are grateful to Paul for this very generous gift and are pleased to be able to offer this highly prized coffee to our guests in the Ranchers Club,” Ghiselli said.

The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

For more information access the Foundation’s Web site at OSUgiving.com.