Our Team - Heavenly Hawaiian (2024)

Aloha! E Komo Mai

Meet Our Team

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Welcome To

Heavenly Hawaiian

Heavenly Hawaiian coffee is grown on the hills of Holualoa in the heart of Kona. We grow, process, and roast 100% Kona Coffee all here on the Big Island. Founded by Dave & Trudy Bateman, Heavenly Hawaiian has been growing world class coffee since 1994. Since then, we’ve grown our team and our farm now offers a wide variety of tours, an online store, and of course, 7 farm cats.

Meet Our Team

We've grown our team and our farm now offers a wide variety of tours, an online store, and of course, 7 farm cats.

Bill Myers

Bill, CEO: Bill brings 35 years of organizational leadership experience to Heavenly Hawaiian. In his previous career, Bill led a series of national advocacy organizations based in Washington D.C. In 2005, Bill moved with his family to Hawaii. Here, Bill established The Painted Church Foundation to support the preservation of that historic landmark and then joined Heavenly Hawaiian as its General Manager in 2017. Bill architected Heavenly Hawaiian’s successful transition from a wholesale model to a retail, agritourism destination. Bill is actively involved in the Workstay program and mentors numerous apprentices in farming, business, and coffee. Bill is a prominent member in the Kona Coffee community and serves on the Board of Directors for Destination Kona Coast, a West Hawaii tourism bureau.

Dave + Trudy Bateman

Dave founded Heavenly Hawaiian with his wife, Trudy, after retiring from a successful career as an Air Force Colonel, Law partner, and Asst. Attorney General of Washington Dept of Natural Resources. Dave immediately immersed himself in the Kona Coffee community by becoming a CLE Program Developer for Hawaii Agriculture and Labor and continues to be an active board member of the Hawaii Coffee Association and the Kona Coffee Council. Dave’s extensive professional experience and passion for Specialty Coffee has laid the foundation for Heavenly Hawaiian’s continuous growth and success.

Matt Goldston, CFO

Matthew joined the Heavenly Hawaiian team in 2022 and has been a key contributor to our rapid, financial growth and business pivots. He brings 28 years of experience in accounting in professional services, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, technology, and private equity. Matthew is a trusted decision maker for both short- and long-term financial strategy. Matthew also has his own private family Kona Coffee farm, so he brings a niche perspective on the Kona Coffee industry.

Jim Johnson

Jim was the Director of Operations for high-end hospitality groups in Southern California for over 15 years and is an expert in luxury customer service. After being recruited to Heavenly Hawaiian, Jim quickly became an integral part of directing daily operations as well as long-term vision planning and strategizing. Jim brings over 20 years of experience in hotel operations management with specialties in sales, marketing, revenue management, project management, trend forecasting, and customer service training. Jim’s extensive background translates seamlessly into Heavenly’s growing agritourism model.

Alex Hollis

Alex brings a breadth of knowledge to Heavenly Hawaiian with 11 years of experience in the Food and Beverage industry, with four of those years dedicated to coffee. She holds numerous certifications with the Specialty Coffee Association and is currently expanding her portfolio into Coffee Sensory skills. Alex is one of our head coffee experts and is our resident Q Arabica grader. Alex also specializes in customer relationship management and manages our subscriber base. Alex graduated from James Madison University with a BA in International Relations with a Focus in Latin America, and has Associates degrees in Culinary Arts and Business Administration.

Doug McKanna

Doug brings substantial marketing and coffee farming experience to Heavenly Hawaiian and is a key contributor to our growth. Doug worked for Nestle for 20 years and held key roles as Director of Foodservice Marketing, Director of New product development, and Director of Gourmet Coffee Business Operations. He has been developing Kona Coffee farms for 20 years and produces award winning varietals, such as his Geisha Champagne coffee which won 1st Place in the 2021 Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. Doug is also a part owner of Waiki’i Ranch Olive company.

Brett Strawn

After traveling to Hawaii for several years, Brett decided to parlay his passions for Hawaii and data analysis into an integral role at Heavenly Hawaiian. With 20 years of professional experience in Logistics, Software Development, and Data Analysis, Brett has transformed Heavenly Hawaiian’s business model using data-driven strategies. Brett is a lead creator and trusted decision maker for financial growth strategies and product development. Brett is also an award-winning musician from Dallas, TX, bringing creativity and zest to the Heavenly Hawaiian workplace.

Townsend Ambrecht

Townsend hails from the east coast and arrived at the farm at the end of 2020. He serves as a tour guide and as well as a liaison between the farm and its on-island affiliates. Hawaii Island is the fourth island Townsend has lived on.

Helen Burnett

Helen has been a critical leader since the inception of the Workstay program in 2018. Her role is key in evolving and growing the structure and capacity of the program. Helen has been the head Workstay recruiter since 2020, and has brought substantial talent to the farm. Helen has 6 years of combined experience in Customer Success and the Food and Beverage Industry, and she is currently earning a degree in Natural Resource Tourism from Colorado State University.

Connor Grisham

One proud Colorado native with a pension for coffee, co*cktails, and all matters of hospitality, Connor first entered the Heavenly Hawaiian Workstay Program in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. After going back to Denver to help start and manage a new coffeehouse south of the city, Connor returned with his expertise in crafting amazing drinks behind the coffee bar as Konalani's Manager. Never is there a moment you wouldn't find Connor sharing any new found knowledge gained about coffee or drink making to anyone he can. Connor plans to further his career in specialty coffee by achieving his Arabica Q Grade Certification and eventually opening his own coffeehouse.

WorkStay Program

We have set up a program for anyone interested in volunteering on the farm.

Volunteer at

Heavenly Hawaiian

We have set up a program for anyone interested in volunteering on the farm. You will have the opportunity to learn about many aspects of farming coffee in Hawaii and live on the property too! We ask for a 3 month commitment to the program.

Learn More About Workstay

Interested In Other Kona Coffee Tours?

Enhance Your Trip To Hawaii With A Unique Experience On Our Authentic Kona Coffee Farm.
Our team has curated an incredible set of tours and experiences for you to enjoy at our farm.