I highly recommend this as one of the best chocolate tours! We took the two hour tour with our family - it was a nice small group of six in total. Mike was not only an expert in all things chocolate, but he is easy to understand, he takes time to teach you and answer any questions and he has a great personality! It was pouring down rain the day we went, yet the tour was still a great success. We started out at the farm and then concluded down at the shop. You get to taste fresh cacao, nibs, cacao tea and kakao brew - of course at the shop are the full chocolate bars. Mike clearly loves what he does and enjoys sharing that love with his customers. The only down side is that after listening to Mike you will be ruined forever on eating any other general retail chocolate. So long Hershey and friends! read more

Experienced the VIP cacao tasting tour and enjoyed every last second of it! Mike was an amazing tour guide. He built his cacao farm from the bottom up and it was amazing to witness his progress ever since 2017. He walked us through the seed germination process, the growing process, the fermentation process and everything before, in between and after that.. from seed all the way to chocolate bar. This tour is meant to expand your knowledge and change your perspective on how you think about, taste, and experience chocolate. At the end of the farm tour, you drive down to the gift shop (about a 3 min drive from the farm) to make any potential purchases as well as taste even more chocolate! What an amazing and unique experience in Honaka'a and 100% recommend adding this tour to your Big Island itinerary. P.S. my favorite chocolate bar is the barrel aged bourbon bar!! Notes of dark cherry with a bourbon finish :) read more

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This review is for the storefront in Honoka'a. The chocolate is super tasty and the free tasting was much appreciated. It made me want more which worked. We bought several bars for ourselves and gifts. read more

This was my 1st time ever going to a Chocolate Farm and I was excited my teenager son (and his friend) wanted to join us. Plus my parents and I always LOVE pairing reds with dark chocolate- so everyone in my family was happy with this idea! The owner, Mike was incredibly knowledgeable and inquisitive! He has a great story of how his chocolate farm came to be and this particular Chocolate Farm carefully balances its pH levels, so there's NO HEAVY METALS in their chocolate and they've been tested! Granted he did say, if you were to eat 40-85% cocoa bars a SMALL trace shows up- I was SOLD ON THAT ALONE! (background story): I got my blood tested about 3 years ago and it showed 4x's the normal amount on arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and tungsten, so I started changing my diet and I haven't had any chocolates in my house since then. I'm THRILLED to know I can buy this chocolate and have it shipped to the Mainland!!!! The were a short easy walk down the hill to the cocoa streets and the weather was on our side. It was a bit too bright for my son's friend's skin, but he forgot sunscreen. Hee. The tastings were interesting and I never knew there was a special way to melt/warm up the chocolate in order to smell it before chewing the chocolate to taste it. I've always savored the taste with my wine or coffee. Hee. The 85% was my favorite along with the Bourbon Chocolate! Then down the hillside is a quaint little local restaurant, Tex Drive In, and their Chocolate shop is around the corner from that. We tired the other 4 chocolates at the store and bought 5 bars and then we got 5% off! I would love to go back!!!! read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - How big the almost fully grown cocoa pod is - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

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The owner meets you at the farm to show you the cacao trees and talk about how he started the business. Then you go up for the chocolate tasting. You taste 5 of their chocolates starting with the darkest. He takes you through how to feel, smell and taste the chocolate. Yum - the chocolate is good! It is smooth and not bitter, even the 80% sample. The chocolate is served with a glass of tea made from the husks of the bean. It was interesting. The tasting experience was nice and informative. After the tasting we drove down to the storefront and the factory on the main street in town. He showed us all the machines used to make the chocolate bars. You get to try more, smaller samples at the store. Finally, you can purchase chocolate bars to go and/or join the chocolate club. Overall a nice tour. I would have given it more stars except I think it is a little over priced, so is the chocolate. The tour was $90 per person. We did the coffee tour for free, the abalone tour for $20, and the deep sea salt tour for $30. The chocolate tour was the shortest and the most expensive. No discount read more

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I write as a chocolate lover of really fine single origin chocolates. Mike and his crew have such a fine product that they give tours of the small farm. Knowledge of the cacao production enhances, curated tasting with clear guidelines for understanding flavor notes is one of owner, Mike's super powers. Barrel aged chocolate and reserve chocolates are exquisite. A great retail chocolate store in historic Honokaa made for a truly pleasing trip! Well done!!!!! read more

Super nice and friendly people. Lots of samples. Very educational. Bought chocolate bars shipped home , Very convenient.

Been there several times, the tasting is fun, the chocolates divine and the staff always helpful and lots of fun. Today we had our tasting with Naghme, she was very knowledgeable as she presented the different chocolate for us to try. They even have a new chocolate drink which we sampled. Goodness, that was delicious and no calories! Highly recommend read more

We had a very nice experience purchasing chocolate here. Many different varieties of chocolate, all local grown. Some interesting non-dairy options as well. Pricing is a tad high, but not unexpected for this quality of chocolate. read more

We had the farm tour and then went to the retail location after to see the operation and of course purchase some delicious chocolate. Will echo many of the other reviews here as Mike lead the farm tour on their property. They are doing things right with Hawaiian grown cocoa and educating their guests to appreciate their tree to bar approach. Also learned that Mike has a hand in Kuleana Rum Works and uses that knowledge base to amplify the cocoa they grow on the farm. 10/10 would recommend and also look at their subscription option to have some delivered monthly for yumminess at home. read more

Mike is the founder of the company and he lives on the farm. He is passionate and super knowledgeable about all things chocolate. From breaking open a cacao pod and eating the raw seed, to sampling 9 different types of finished chocolates, he answered every question and passed on his excitement about his craft. This tour and tasting is highly recommended. An added bonus is the gorgeous drive to Honoka'a. Regardless of whether you're coming from Hilo or Kona, it's scenic. read more

On the main drag, across from the Honoka Marketplace is this really cool little chocolatier. There's probably a dozen or more flavors to sample as well as to buy. What about Bourbon or Rum flavored cocoa? Goat Milk + Cocoa? 70% or 85% cocoa, maybe dark chocolate. Coconut + Cocoa? What a treat. The young lady behind the counter was well versed in the differences of each, how they will (or should) taste on the palate, and what were the different percentages in each ingredient per mixture/bar. This is a must do, must visit, must see place when you're anywhere near this area. Do it! read more

I was looking for a Chocolate farm and I found this one. I drove to the site and they just moved to a new office last week. So I had to drive to downtown. Just be aware that on Tuesdays most of the stores are closed and the chocolate store it is inly open Monday thru Friday. The city has road closure during the week and there is street parking I walked into a nice new office and the staff was very knowledgeable about the chocolates. read more

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Nice tour with good info. Yummy chocolate with interesting flavor combinations. Cute store front too. Mike was great. read more

This was a great experience! We added this to our day the night before and it did not disappoint! The owner of the farm was our guide and it was such a fantastic learning experience. He promised at the start to change the way we looked at chocolate and it was absolutely true- I do look at it differently. We started with the cacao trees and got to taste the cacao from the pods. then off for a tasting. The chocolate was amazing and so smooth! We tried 5 different chocolates that were made there. They were good sized half spheres so you really got the taste without overpowering you. Such amazing taste. This is a highly recommended experience! We went to the town close by later in the day, which is adorable in its own right, to buy a number of the bars. He was right - I truly look at chocolate differently now! read more

This was an absolutely amazing 1hr tour and tasting. I will never be able to enjoy another chocolate bar off the shelf at home! If you are ever nearby it is a MUST GO! read more

This chocolate was AMAZING!! My wife and young child at the time went and enjoyed the experience. We bought a bunch of it! I would recommend the trip and experience and definitely walk around the property! read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - The process of the chocolate - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

My family and I did a free chocolate tasting at this chocolate shop. Brittany was super friendly and told us all about the chocolates, which were delicious. My family got 5 bars. I would highly recommend the Bourbon or Rum bars. And they even had goat milk bars which were fun to try. Highly recommend stopping by! read more

I happened to stop by their store while in Honokaa and was the best decision of the trip. Their chocolate is very high quality and loved the cacao brew as well! read more

Really great spot to stop, sample, and buy local chocolate! This place grows the cocoa beans on the island and produces some of the best chocolate I've ever had. Such smooth, rich, and deliciously flavorful chocolate! Their helpful staff (young lady working the counter) was a great ambassador, and told us all about the chocolate, the owner (showed photos of his nearby farm where some of the beans are grown), and the process. And then she let us taste all the different variations. My favorites were the Rum, coconut, and Hawaii 70%, but really, all of them were great. We bought about 6 bars, and while they are a bit spendy, they are worth it. Highly recommend this stop and their chocolate! read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - All of the flavors we tasted. Yummmm! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

One of my favorite things I have done on this trip to Hawaii. We did the vip tour and it was totally worth it chocolate tasting was amazing along with everything I learned. The farm was amazing along with the staff and service this was truly a great experience. read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - Chocolate bars - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

The chocolate tasting experience was so much fun! We walked in and were greeted by a knowledgeable and engaging host who guided us through the tasting. The chocolates themselves were incredible, and the experience truly enhanced their flavors. We ended up buying a few to take home, and they all tasted amazing. My personal favorite is the dark chocolate--it's smooth, rich, and perfectly bold! read more

Great little chocolate shop with free tastings from owner. Very informative and highly recommend. Make some time to learn about the different chocolates. read more

This tour was an incredible experience. Mike was friendly, knowledgeable, and funny, and the story of how he got into the chocolate business is quite interesting. We learned so much about chocolate, how it is made, and best of all, how to taste it and judge it. The chocolates themselves are absolutely delicious and the farm setting is beautiful. Highly recommended! read more

I stopped by the shop yesterday. It smelled amazing. The woman behind the counter was doing a tasting with four people. I hung around for a while in the shop and was not even acknowledged. I understand that you're a small business but if you can't at least be cordial to people walking into the store, maybe only have it open by appointment. It just feels like crap to be ignored. read more

Honoka'a Chocolate Company: We stopped by after the waterfall & black sands beach and it was off the beaten path where you drive thru small narrow roads off the main highway, climbing up to a higher elevation. And trying to use Waze and Trip Advisor pics can be challenging but an adventure! We didn't opt for the tour which was $80/pp which was fine because we were able to try the 85% Cacao, 70% Cacao and 55% Cacao infused with goat's milk. The 85% was the most bittersweet as expected, 70% semisweet and the Goat Milk Chocolate Bar was definitely gamey & Goat's Milk tasting. The owner, Mike popped in and talked to us about the process, growing locally and flavors infused in the different bars. He let us try the Coconut Dark Milk Bar which was subtle and not "Mounds Bar" tasting. He explained he didn't want a sweet candy bar when coming up with the flavor profiles because these were artisan bars with silkier textures. He said in competitions there are specific notes that the judges look for that distinguish how well a bar is made. I tried the Drunken Goat Milk Bar and it was more subtle. The young female clerk said it had a more caramel finish. You could see the small Cacao plants near the parking lot. When we went to the Waimea Farmer's Market, an Indonesian fruit/veggie vendor let us try a fresh Cacao fruit. That was interesting! It was raw, nutty and kinda bitter. The dried Cacao beans were more familiar with a roasted flavor so we bought a bag of that. Notes from the website: Their chocolate is made from scratch-bean-to-bar-in small batches, using the highest quality ingredients, sourced locally from the Big Island of Hawai'i and from around the world, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Honduras to name a few. They use Native brand Turbinado style Organic cane sugar sourced from sustainable farms to add just the right amount of sweetness. * We are a real working chocolate farm with about 2.5 acres of cacao. * Hawaii is the only US state where cacao grows fruitfully and where we have a true branch to bar industry. * The region of Hawaii produces some of the rarest cacao and chocolate on the planet * Honoka'a Chocolate Co has received a total of 18 international awards for our chocolates within the last two years.  We bought a variety of bars to take back home and to share with others because it's such a fun foodie thing to do esp. knowing it was grown in Hawaii and to explore the flavors infused in the Artisan style bars. We bought 3 Coconut Dark Milk Bars, a Drunken Goat Milk Bar, Rum Bar, Bourbon Bar and Goat Milk Chocolate Bar. The Bourbon Bar and Rum Bar definitely have that Oaky note as if it's been in an aged cask but not boozy flavored, IMO. Only a pregnant friend who tried it could taste the slight booze infusion. If you get a chance and are in the area, explore this gem! It's on actual farmland with Cacao plants growing nearby. It's off the beaten path and the service is excellent as well as the product. I really felt like a wine-tasting experience but with chocolate! If you want to have them shipped, Mike said they use Fed-Ex 2-day air anywhere in the mainland U.S. Fed-Ex uses refrigerated air-conditioned trucks. He assured me they won't melt because of the cooler conditions on the trucks vs. UPS. read more

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This tour surprised our expectations. We got such an intimate tour of the orchard and the facility. The VIP tour goes in depth on what to look for in good chocolate and how to test and evaluate and boy, is this chocolate good! Adults and kids alike will enjoy this tour. read more

An outstanding experience all round.. We booked this tour and it was by far one of the best and most educational that we have had in the Big Island of Hawaii. Chocolate Heaven. From the seedling to the harvest. Mike, the owner/farmer gave us a fantastic tour of the farm and educated us on the Cacao tree. He is down to earth, informative and interesting. Obviously he loves what he does and takes great care of the process. Producing fabulous chocolate that can be bought on their website and shipped anywhere. I love to support local and that is exactly what this is. Located in a beautiful part of the Big Island about an hour north of both Kona and Hilo, known as the upcountry. All of it was outstanding. Do not miss this supercool experience read more

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My boyfriend and I took the farm tour with Mike and had an amazing time. We learned so much about chocolate from pod to bar, while tasting some incredible treats. Mike really opened my eyes to the craft of growing, harvesting and processing this incredible fruit! The tour ended at his shop where we got to see how the magic was made, and taste some additional flavors. Of course we had to buy lots of bars for gifts and are planning on subscribing to keep the deliciousness coming. read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii

My 11-year old son and I visited the farm for a weekday tour and we both absolutely loved it! Mike, the owner, was a wonderful guide and the tour was the perfect balance between entertaining and educational. The chocolate is spectacular, and it was great learning about what goes into each bite, why it's so different than high volume chocolate, and how it is much better for the world and people who live here. We visited the store after the tour/tasting and bought six bars of different styles--nearly all of which are gone at this point :( Even my wife, who is not an affirmed chocoholic like my son and I, has been thoroughly enjoying it. Heading to the website now to stock up, and looking forward to visiting again when we are back next year! Thanks to Mike for a terrific experience and introducing us to some amazing chocolate! read more

The relaxed vibes of a wine tasting, but with chocolate! The farm is up a winding backroad south of the Honoka'a town center. Since the grounds here are very compact, there's no long trudging walks between sights. Mike (the owner & our tour guide) was chock-full of interesting information regarding the chocolate-making trade; his passion for the craft is infectious and really shines through during the tour. The tasting was fantastic and held up alongside the best Food & Wine tastings I've done before. In addition to trying both Cacao Tea and raw Cacao Nibs (both completely unexpected pleasures), we were treated to a spread of chocolate ranging across the darkness spectrum. As we tried each, Mike provided a detailed explanation for each step of the chocolate-making process. Each piece was interesting and nuanced, and each bite made it harder and harder to stop myself from just devouring the whole plate of tasting bites. After the tasting, we all got in our cars and followed Mike down to Honoka'a proper, where their storefront is located a short distance away. Here we were shown the actual machines involved in the process and given an opportunity to purchase full bars for ourselves. I personally purchased two of their Bourbon Bars and one Goat Milk Chocolate Bar, my absolute favorites from the tasting. I highly recommend both the tour and the chocolate. We are regularly subjected to subpar chocolate in this country, so it's a breath of fresh air to both enjoy some of the best chocolate Hawaii has to offer while getting an in-depth look at how it's made. read more

This was such a neat experience for us! We had no idea about the chocolate making process and learned so much! From tasting fresh off the tree cacao to the tasting the final product, everything was such a treat! Who knew tasting chocolate was so much like wine tasting! Definitely recommend this tour and don't forget to purchase chocolate at the end! This chocolate is amazing! Definitely signing up for their subscription! read more

We drove out to the shop during business hours and no one was present on the property. Edit: I showed up at the property around 1130am with my mom and nephew. We walked around for about ten minutes. We all called out for help. Walked into the shop. We couldn't find anyone. We sat at your picnic table for 10 minutes and i called you twice in that time (once at 11:32am and again at 11:40am). No one answered. This is not an incorrect assessment. This was my experience at your business. read more

Amazing chocolates. Highly recommend. Came here expecting to just buy a couple chocolate bars, but left with several boxes after trying several delicious samples of coconut milk, goats milk, 70% and 85% dark chocolate. Great service and the staff make you feel very welcome. Highly recommend if visiting from out of the area as these chocolates will make for a very nice travel gift. read more

Five stars and more if I could! We were exploring the northern part of Hawaii, and came across this young chocolate farm, so decided to "stop by" as we didn't actually have a tour reservation. They were simply an amazing group of people, directing us to their gift shop on the property where we would get some insight on their farm and practices and be given a few samples. They were so gracious and full of information and knowledge. We truly had a great time listening and sampling, and asking questions...and yes we bought into their product. How could you not? Their award-winning chocolate is delicious, and their staff so amazing! Go there, visit them! They're great people! read more

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Stop and do the chocolate tasting! We were wondering through Hanoka'a and happened upon this unassuming chocolate tasting. First of all the chocolate is amazing and second, the woman leading the tasting was so friendly and knowledgeable about the farm and owners. Highly recommend! read more

One billion stars! A great experience to go along with great chocolate. What an enjoyable visit to this shop on the main street in Honoka'a. There is a window into the chocolate manufacturing area, and there are two perfect tasting counters. One gets to sample all of the chocolates and we had an amazing woman leading us through the tasting. She was so deply into the chocolate world and walked us through the flavor profiles and how the different chocolates came to be. Goat milk chocolate is inspired! The chocolate flavor wheel profiles was an eye opener for how complex chocolate can be, and the goat milk chocolate comes out somewhere in the grassy-woody area, like the taste of goat's milk cheese. For more traditional flavors the chocolate still shines, but highlights for us were rum and coconut, dark chocolate coconut, and bourbon. A must-visit spot! read more

We were driving down the road really going nowhere THEN we saw on the map a chocolate tasting site. We had to go..... It was great. The young lady that helped us was very knowledgeable and we tasted some great chocolate. Sad that we did not get to chat with the owner. read more

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We come here every year for a new tasting. Mike and Rhonda Pollard, owners, and are such wonderful people. You will love coming here and learning more about agriculture, agritourism, chocolate, white pineapples and vanilla beans. The farm is call Kahi Ola Mau farm and the chocolate is Honoka'a chocolate. If you are on the Big Island schedule a chocolate tasting! Very informative and world class chocolate.. read more

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Suggestion: Read their website about the farm, watch the virtual tour, and call to do the $20 per person chocolate tasting (10 flavors according to their sign). You'll come about feeling just as informed, you'll get to see the farm, get the cool tasting experience, and save $40 per adult. Disappointed and NOT WORTH $60 per adult or $30 per child for tour & tasting. For that price I expected a vehicle ride around the whole farm (thought to be 100+ acres in size based on tour listing of items grown on farm), viewing all the products they grow on the farm that's mentioned on their tour page, walking through the chocolate making process area, and enjoy the chocolate tasting. Their descriptions are well word-smithed that if you don't re-read it a few times, it's easy to misinterpret what's being stated because of how it's being presented/stated. (Great Marketing Skills!) Quick 2-hour Tour Summary: Sales pitch to grow cocoa, we're starting a farm cooperative, why quality chocolate is expensive, why cheap chocolate might become expensive, why our chocolate is better/best and worth the prices we charge you to buy it, and we don't pay for marketing because people pay us $60 per adult to verbally market directly to them. Longer 2-hour Tour Summary: 1) Walk from car to entrance fence post. Owner tells you a little more history than is already on their website while standing next to/leaning against post, plus some info about global cocoa farms. 2) Walk 25 feet to young cocoa trees, owner talks a little about growing/protection process. Walk another 25 feet to mature cocoa trees, owner talks about identifying unripe, ripening, and ripe cocoa pods, harvesting process, fermentation process, cocoa contests, the cocoa farmers cooperative they are building, and the awards they've won (locally & globally). Big name brands selling cheap chocolate exploits child labor and under paying adult farm labor in poor countries to acquire cheap, poor quality cocoa they sell to the masses. 3) Walk out of cocoa tree farm area, across parking lot, down driveway, and then up a short steep-ish hill to the tasting tables and chocolate shop. Here you are provided a pitcher of water, pitcher of cocoa tea, and a tasting plate of 9 (8 dark + 1 milk) chocolate buttons. (Cocoa tea is a neat thing to taste.) 4) Owner shows pictures of the cocoa harvesting process while describing in more detail, shows samples of the cocoa at the different processing stages (roasted bean, nibs, cocoa butter, and sugar they add to their chocolate), describes the tasting process and terminology, and spaces out smelling/tasting each sample by talking about the chocolate making process, different elements of the chocolate being sampled, about where the cocoa beans were grown. Ends with a description of their new chocolate subscription to be their chocolate flavor guinea pig and try small batch test chocolate flavor/process products. 5) Walk from table up 3 steps to look into chocolate making room you sat next to during your tasting, Owner shows off chocolate sale shelf and booze infused chocolate mini barrels, and waits to take/complete your onsite purchase of chocolate. The owner was a nice guy, smart, very knowledgeable, and definitely loves what he does. There are just better ways/tours to spend your money. The chocolate they sell is worth the sticker price, the tasting is probably worth $20 per person, but other places charge like $10 or give free tours....Paradise Meadows Orchard is a perfect example (free samples, free farm tour, and same kind of nice people). read more

Honoka'a Chocolate - Shop and Chocolate making viewing window on right side. Photo taken from tasting tables below. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Honokaa, Hawaii