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Farm tours · 15 minutes from downtown Hilo
Walk the orchard. Taste the chocolate.
A collegiate-level seminar on everything cacao, and a tasting of Hawaiʻi’s finest craft chocolate, on a working research orchard.
Orchard Tour & Craft Chocolate Tasting Package
About 3.5 hours
Ages 7 and up
From $105 per person
Usually Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:00 am. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
Our Orchard Tour is an engaging, collegiate-level seminar on everything cacao. Honoliʻi Orchards exists on the cutting edge of international cacao research, and our team of industry professionals is excited to guide you through the details of our dynamic agricultural operations. We’ll explore the history of cacao cultivation, how we grow and harvest cacao on our farm, and the magic of fermentation. This isn’t a cookie-cutter tour, but one that adapts to your questions and responds to your curiosity.
The package also includes our full Craft Chocolate Tasting, so you fully experience the “bean to bar” process.
We recommend it for guests looking for something unique, unparalleled and unhurried. You’ll return home with a memorable story, knowledge to share, and a new appreciation for the modern craft chocolate movement.
What you can expect
Guided tasting of 10+ single-estate chocolate bars from farms across Hawaiʻi, with unlimited samples
Sampling and comparison of two fresh cacao fruit varieties
Our active research: terroir study, clonal rootstock trial, variety and fermentation trials
A guided walk through the orchard: agronomics, orchard management and pod development
The complex fermentation process
Cacao’s ancient history and its relationship to early humanity
Seasonal fresh fruit from the farm
Ample time for questions and conversation
Craft Chocolate Tasting
About 1.5 hours
Ages 4 and up
From $50 per person
Hilo’s best rainy-day activity
Usually weekdays at 12:00, 2:30 or 2:45 pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
A curated experience for guests who are truly here for the chocolate. Our professional guides lead you through an unlimited sampling of over ten award-winning, single-origin chocolate bars from cacao farms across Hawaiʻi, with details about each farm and its post-harvest practices. The tasting takes place in our open-air tasting room in the lush Honoliʻi valley, with a view of the orchards that extends down to the ocean on clear days.
Eat chocolate to your heart’s content as we explore the flavors Hawaiian chocolate has to offer, from fudgy and earthy to fruity and floral. Bars are available to buy at the end if you’d like to share your favorites.
The tasting also covers the history of Honoliʻi Orchards and our research, basic cacao agronomics, and two fresh cacao fruit varieties. It takes place entirely in the tasting room, an excellent fit for a busy schedule.
What you can expect
Guided tasting of 10+ award-winning single-estate bars from across Hawaiʻi, with unlimited samples
Sampling and comparison of two fresh cacao fruit varieties
An overview of our research trials
A presentation on pollination and pod development
Seasonal fresh fruit from the farm
Check availability
Pick a time to book. Every tour and tasting slot for the month, updated live.
What guests say
“This is no cookie cutter tour- these guys deliver the goods with expertise and passion and you will leave wanting more!”
“They provided so many chocolate samples in the final tasting stage that we actually reached our chocolate limit (not complaining!).”
“The people in our group were ages 18 to 85 and this was the perfect excursion for all of us. We didn’t feel like we were on a touristy tour at all.”
Questions people ask
Our schedule varies, but we generally offer tours Monday through Friday. Farm tours usually run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:00 am, and chocolate tastings usually start at 12:00, 2:30 or 2:45 pm. The calendar above shows every open time. Please arrive 15 minutes before your start time.
Bookings are fully refundable if cancelled 24 hours or more before the start of your tour. We cannot offer refunds for cancellations that are requested with less than 24 hours notice. It is uncommon, but we occasionally must cancel a tour due to low attendance or inclement weather. Guests will recieve a full refund should their tour be cancelled by us for any reason.