To Grandma’s House We Go
Beloved family-run coffee shop serves up community in Keokea
By Mona de Crinis
Photographs by Ryan Siphers
More than a hundred years after Dominga Franco – better known as Grandma Minnie – began sharing delicious home brew and warm aloha with her Makawao neighbors, Grandma’s Coffee House in Kēōkea continues the tradition of Upcountry camaraderie and the best cup of joe this side of Seattle.
Immigrating from Puerto Rico in the late 1800s, the Franco family cultivated their distinctive Arabica strain along the slopes of Haleakalā and processed the hand-picked beans on the family’s century-old Burpee coffee roaster. In the evenings, Grandma Minnie’s garage drew extended ‘ohana from around the block for coffee and conversation.
Dominga’s grandson, Alfred Franco, began peddling her proprietary blend to stores and at the old Pu‘unene swap meet while still a teen, scrawling “Grandma’s Coffee” on every brown paper bag sold. With her blessing, Alfred opened Grandma’s Coffee House in the early 1980s both as a paean to Dominga’s welcoming spirit and to satisfy a growing demand for her alchemistic brew.
Set in an embrace of jacarandas catty-corner from Kēōkea Park, the green Plantation-era storefront carries the likeness of Grandma in the window and, on most days, a queue of customers out the door; the food and coffee are so tasty and prices so reasonable that those in the know get there before the house-made goodies are gone. An open-air lānai invites stellar views from its 3,200-foot volcanic perch (plus the occasional leg rub from a resident cat or two).
Topped with a corrugated tin roof and plenty of homespun style, Grandma’s conjures memories of a simpler age when talking story trumped 24-hour news cycles, and dog-eared books rivaled smart phones for attention. Wood-topped tables encourage leisurely conversation, and on the walls, the Franco tale unfolds in framed family photos and newspaper clippings yellowed with age.
Alfred died unexpectedly in late 2020, leaving his son Derek and longtime general manager and fiancée, Amber Coleman, to carry on Grandma’s legacy. Although he had grown up in the restaurant, graduating from a crib in the back and a stool at the register to full shifts as an adult, Derek was considering stepping back to pursue music when the elder Franco fell ill.
“Suddenly, I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to double down,” he said, recalling the moment he let the weight of Grandma’s as a community anchor settle on his shoulders. Rather than run from, the younger Franco instead ran toward the challenge he had so abruptly inherited.
Together with Coleman, who was engaged to Alfred at the time of his death, the two 36-year-olds – more brother and sister than linked through love – are keeping Grandma’s tradition alive daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Offering sweet treats like just-baked banana bread and pineapple-coconut-macadamia nut muffins courtesy of Angela Franco, Derek’s younger sister, as well as heartier meals such as meatloaf loco moco, taro burgers and chop steak lunch plates (vegetarian options also available), Grandma’s Coffee House regularly updates its locally sourced menu to reflect seasonal availability. There are even a few coveted recipes from Grandma Minnie herself.
“This place means so much to so many, not only to me and my family,” Derek said. “It’s where people connect and come together for good coffee, good food and good times. And we want that to continue.”
