The official coffee of this month's Ironman Triathlon is from Guatemala, and Kona coffee growers aren't happy about it.

The arduous Hawai'i event, which started in 1978, this week announced that its Ironman Organic coffee is made from beans originating from the El Quiche region of that Central American country. The new coffee brand was created by Ironman athletes who wanted to offer an "ideal" coffee after noticing the market was limited, the Ironman organization said in a news release.

This year's race will take place Saturday in Kona and features a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile run.

In picking a Guatemalan coffee, the event appears to have snubbed Hawai'i's popular Kona coffee, according to local growers. Hawai'i is the only state in the country with a commercial coffee industry.

Sotero Agoot, general manager of the Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative, which represents about 300 farmers, said Ironman organizers can promote any coffee they want. However, "if you want to talk about Guatemalan coffee, go do it in Long Beach (California) or some of these triathlons elsewhere," he said. "Don't do it in Kona. Give me a break. Then what it seems like to me is (these) people are not interested in helping the local economy one way or the other or American farmers."

Ironman spokeswoman Blair LaHaye said event organizers ultimately plan to offer a Kona coffee in their line of Ironman coffees.

"We definitely want to respond to some of the questions and concerns that are out there" about Ironman coffee, she said. "Those discussions (with Hawai'i farmers) have been in place. Those discussions were just very early in the process."

At the same time, the Ironman Triathlon is a worldwide event that's not limited to Kona, LaHaye said. The Ironman Triathlon was first held on O'ahu before moving to Kona in 1981. The event is credited with spurring a worldwide movement. Today, similar events involving biking, swimming and running are held worldwide.

The Ironman coffee will be sold at the Ford Ironman Village and coffee shop Lava Java.

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association also took exception to Ironman organizers promoting their Guatemalan coffee in Kona. The group, which represents about 150 farmers, called on Ironman organizers to withdraw the Guatemalan coffee from Hawai'i. "To import and serve a foreign coffee, no matter how good, as the 'ideal' coffee into the heart of the Kona coffee growing district is unconscionable," said association president Ken Sheppard in a news release. "Kona has always supported the Ironman contest and its athletes. Kona people will not react well to this."

The Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative and the Kona Coffee Farmers Association both said they have not been contacted by Ironman organizers about purchasing Kona coffee.

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.