I had no idea delicious chocolate had such a process of becoming delicious. Phil, our tour guide, was entertaining and informative. Phil was very knowledgeable about the whole delicious chocolate process. The farm was in a beautiful location on the hill. We went as a family group of 11, all ages from 3-68. He connected with all of us. A must see on the Big Island!! read more

We had a wonderful tour here. It was very informative and cool to see all the steps involved in chocolate production. Our tour was very personal and our guide was friendly and great. The chili pepper chocolate is perfect! read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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I am a Chocolate enthusiast, so when I was researching things to do during our day visit to Hilo, I knew I wanted to visit Lavaloha. I was not disappointed. It's only a 15-20 minute ride from the cruise ship. We drove up on a road surrounded by lush farms on both sides and arrived to a small shop with a GORGEOUS view! It's a wide vista with views to the port and open ocean. We were greeted by 2 warm and friendly ladies and offered NUMEROUS and PLENTIFUL chocolate samples. They are not stingy at all and encouraged us to try everything. My children had a blast visiting with Pumba (the pet piglet) who is in training as the company mascot and island ambassador for the many wild pigs on the island. Jessica then gave us a down hill walking tour of the orchards and processing facilities. She picked a fresh pod off the tree, cut it open , and let us snack on the juicy fruits and nibs inside. It was a so fun and such a unique experience to be able to try cocoa off the tree. Not something I could do at home. Jessica next took us to the drying and roasting areas, and again she allowed us to sample freshly roasted bean that smelled like brownies baking. At the end of the tour, we took the tram (thankfully) back up hill. We left with several types of BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED chocolates that are unlike anything I could get at my local grocery. Me and my family are so thrilled that we spent time visiting Lavaloha. It is an excellent way to spend an afternoon and a great activity for all age groups. read more

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Absolutely recommend signing up for their tour if you're visiting the island, this was one of my favorite things we did while visiting the island! Derek was out tour guide and he was the absolute BEST! He was very personable, engaging, very knowledgeable, and super cool guy. He made the tour so fun for us. Seeing the process of how chocolate is made from cacao was truly incredible and makes you appreciate the little things, like chocolate. So much fun, beautiful view at the top, and DELICIOUS chocolate. read more

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We did the late morning tree-to-chocolate tour. The minute we got out of the car everyone was very friendly. Our guide was knowledgeable about everything to do with growing cacao beans. We got to walk pass the cacao trees, see the inside of a cacao pod and how the beans are processed. Both my wife and I had a fun time and learned a great deal about how chocolate is made. read more

An absolutely wonderful experience. Coming from the Kona side of the island, it does take a long time to get to the farm. However, it was more than worth it. The tour was so informative and everyone that works there is so wonderful. Plus, as our guide pointed out you're only 5 minutes from Rainbow Falls so it makes a nice detour. The views from the farm are incredible and we had an amazing experience. Definitely wholeheartedly recommend. read more

Great tour with amazing chocolates to sample! We learned so much on our tour and at the end we bought some amazing chocolate to take home. Thank you! read more

Enjoyed the tour. Lexi was great, aside from her jokes. Was very informative, hope you become world wide. Thanks again.

We booked a last minute chocolate farm tour and it was well worth it. We had a great time! It was a total farm to taste experience of some really great chocolate in a beautiful setting. Our guide Derek (sp?) was extremely knowledgeable and he was a very cool guy. The chocolate is delicious! An excellent tour for locals and tourists. We're born and raised locals and we're planning on taking other people. Bring a lunch with you and they let you eat on the lanai of the gift shop, the view of Hilo Bay and Hilo is AMAZING! P.S. Check out the fun bathroom in the gift shop read more

Fun and delicious farm experience for the whole family near Hilo! You start with a guided tour of the cocoa plantation with a friendly employee, via golf cart. Even my finicky 8-year-old who "hates tours" wound up saying how much fun he was having and asked the guide many questions about how the chocolate is made. Then you get to sample all the flavors of chocolate made at Lavaloha, from dark to milk to white, with different flavor combinations like sea salt, vanilla and orange. And of course no visit is complete without a stop in the well-stocked gift shop, with gift-worthy bags of all the featured chocolates, chocolate teas and more! The family who runs the business is super nice and welcoming too. This was a perfect afternoon activity for us near Hilo. read more

This chocolate factory was the best tour ive been to here for my two days in Hilo with my boyfriend.Derek and Kat made us feel so welcomed when we arrived.Kat showed us all the chocolates they made there and i just love how it all looks like different types of color lava.So cool.Derek took me and my boyfriend on a tour of the farm and each steps of how they plant and dry beans and making it become chocolate.I can see how passionate Derek is with making chocolate and working on the beautiful land and farming it.I give him high props on doing such a great job and plus hes from my hometown here in Laie and moved to Big island and fell in love with this beautiful company and there acres of beautiful land.Plus kat mentioned about a waterfall on the property and Derek took me and boyfriend on our last tour site and it was so awesome a secret waterfall on there land.So beautiful.Id recommend anyone to come and visit this chocolate farm.Is the great experience and u get to try the coacoa bean pods Derek picked two differrent type to show us the didference of each.They both taste great.We got to taste the chocolate bean when he roast it for us and its so good.Happy that we had the chance to taste it.I learned so much about making chocolate and its alot of work to make a chocolate bar the steps in making it is all worth it.I am so happy how they have the farm up on the hills.It overlooks the water and hilo and all the beautiful greenery.I fell in love with the view and everything about it.I totally recommend coming here and experience all the goodness here and I hope anyone that comes to Hilo makes a stop here.Its all worth the day spent.For each person it cost $30 dollars a person for the tour.Its all worth it.Do take the tour u will love it.Derek will show u everything and he has so much passion in growing.I wanna thanks Derek and Kat for showing us everything about Lavaloha.Your the best.Much love and aloha to you both.You both made our dayYou Both Rock read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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This was a great tour. Our guide Jess was so knowledgeable and informative. You could feel her passion for the chocolate making process. We did this tour on a whim because the weather looked iffy and their tours run rain or shine. Would definitely plan this in to a visit to Hilo! read more

This was an awesome tour and very informative. The setting is stunning with views of the observatories on Mauna Kea and Hilo to infinity. Deanna was our guide and she was so great. read more

Fun tour of the cacao fields and facility. Our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable. There was very little walking required, the details were informative and interesting, and we got to try both the raw fruit and several samples! I think kids who can sit still for 15 minutes at a time would be ok on this one. read more

Kawika gave us a fun and informative tour at Lavaloha. My 6-year-old was enthralled with his enthusiastic and fact-filled talk. Learning the background to the Lavaloha farm and why Hawaii Island is ideal for chocolate production was fascinating. Seeing the Cacao orchards, the flowers, the different fruits, the step-by-step process to transform seed into the most delicious chocolate made for a very worthwhile hour. And tasting the final product -- exquisite! I should also mention the views from the gift shop looking down over rolling farmland to beautiful blue Hilo Bay and the cloud-studded horizon are spectacular, and don't miss the garden down in the collapsed lava tube. read more

Absolutely breathtaking! Leigh our tour guide was the best! She was informative and hilarious! The chocolate was exceptional, especially the white chocolate with nibs. If you are visiting Hilo it's definitely a must see. If you can't make it to Hilo they ship! Check out their website. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience! read more

We had a delightful tour of the chocolate farm. It was interesting and tasty. We totally enjoyed the tour. I highly recommend this tour.

This place and the staff and a gem. Super cute, informative, affordable, and delicious! Highly recommend :)

My family had a great time. Learned a lot. Very educational. Tram helped (took a tourbefore-had to walk). Tour guide was very knowledgeable. Easy to get to. Very little walking. read more

interesting tour, very beautiful place

How lovely an experience I had today. Ethically sourced chocolate right here on the Big Island of Hawai'i. The tour was awesome, with Jessica proving to be a fountain of information. Beautiful grounds....and THE VIEW of Hilo..........EPIC. Reward this business for paying fair & sustainable wages to their employees while providing a top rate product. read more

Lavaloha - My first time in a cacao field. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great tour. Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and kept the kids engaged and interested.

I saw a sign and was going to check out the shop, but decided to stay for a tour. I'm so glad I did! I've done quite a few farm tours around the world and this was one of my favorites. Everyone was super nice, the view and gardens were beautiful, and the chocolate was great. They drove us in a large cart, so we were able to see a lot of the farm. I will be recommending this to my friends and family! read more

Lavaloha - Lovely view of Hilo - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Outstanding! We enjoyed our tour and got to not only see the farm, but taste fresh cacao right off a tree, learn about the process and taste all of the finished products. We learned a lot and ended up buying a lot for friends and family. They shipped our purchases so we didn't have to worry about melting chocolates in the car. Very friendly and knowledgable staff! read more

Lavaloha - Our excellent tour guide Asia explaining the process of making chocolate. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

What a wonderful experience! We took a guided tour with our 9 year old grandson and had a great time! It was educational, entertaining and certainly yummi! Great tour guide, amazing landscape and awesome chocolate! We can only recommend to go up there and enjoy. Thank you for an exeptional afternoon! read more

Very good chocolate tour. Guides were fun and personable. Nice to get out of the city and see the beautiful country.

We could not have had a better tour experience. Jessica was a wonderful guide, extremely knowledgeable, and made the tour a joy. We learned so much. And the farm, the view, and oh the chocolate...words can not describe. If you want the most memorable experience on the Big Island, you must book a tour at Lavaloha. Thank you Jessica and LA staff! read more

We loved the chocolate! We stumbled upon lavaloha chocolate farm on the way back from a different adventure. Everyone we spoke to was very welcoming and gracious. They made room for us on the next tour available. The tour guide was very sweet and very knowledgeable! The tour was informational and moved quickly without any downtime. We got to see a cocoa pod open and try the raw beans. We also got to see the fermentation and drying process. The best part was the tasting of all the chocolates made on site at the farm from the beans we had just seen. The tour guide was helpful and very accommodating the whole time. Our 5-year-old, 7 year old, 40-year-old, 47 year old, and 65 year old people in our group all enjoyed the experience equally! We also all found treasures in the gift shop. It's very reasonably priced compared to other activities and a great way to spend a couple of hours. Lexi, our tour guide, was kind and spoke very clearly. All ages could understand her pronunciation, enunciation, and information. read more

I wanted to find a farm tour that my 10 & 6 year old would enjoy, and somehow I came across this chocolate tour and booked it (maybe recommended on TripAdvisor). On the day of our tour, it rained. Luckily, by the time we arrived, the rain has stopped. Jess was our tour guide and she was awesome and entertaining. She provided great information about their farm...such as background about how this farm came to be, why they grow other items other than cacao trees on the farm, and how they harvest/process the fruit to make cacao. We even were able to sample the fruit itself. Then we were able to sample various chocolates that they make. And once you sample their chocolates, there is no turning back to eating the common chocolates like Hershey. Even as our tour guide, she drove us around the farm on an electric golf cart (enough to hold 12 people)...I think my kids enjoyed the ride. I truly enjoyed this one hour tour and they really have me sold on their chocolates that I had to stock up before I left. read more

Terroir a la Hilo, Lavaloha Chocoholic here. Lavaloha makes excellent chocolate that would compete with any chocolate in the world. My favorite is the Lavaloha dark chocolate which is smooth, balanced, earthy and very satisfying. The Hawaiian chili is a favorite too. I appreciate that the chocolate is not so sweet that the chocolate flavor is muted. There is realcraftsmanship evident in the flavor of this chocolate. The view from Lavaloha is breathtaking. I show all my hawaiian visitors this beautiful farm and share the chocolate. We took the farm/chocolate process tour with our last set of visitors. Knowledgeable Jessica showed us all the details of chocolate growing and production. My favorite moment was getting to see the chocolate plant flower. But the 13 year old boy in our group loved the little black rescue pig that was there. When he talks about his week in Hawaii, that pig is his favorite memory! Lavaloha chocolate will be mailed to the mainland for my family gifts this year. It is truly a product unique to The Big Island. This is a great place to visit in Hilo! How fortunate I feel when I taste a food that is grown and manufactured locally. Lavaloha is a Hilo treasure. read more

Our family of five from Texas and Oklahoma visited Oahu and the Big Island for Spring Break! Our grandson saw a flier for a Chocolate Tour and added that to his "wish" list of things to do while at Hilo! We did some research and found that Lavaloha had an opening that worked with our plans so we scheduled the tour! Jess met us at the door for our tour and was super friendly, shared with us about some of their store products and even made some recommendations for some restaurants and places to visit (Punalu'u for malasadas and The Fish and the Hog in Waimea - Jess we Loved the Deep Fried Ribs - a new favorite)! Leigh was our tour guide and we Loved her!! She was very informative, very humorous and answered lots of questions as there were three children on our tour - 2 being our grandsons! We learned so much about the process of growing, harvesting and making the chocolate!! The highlight of course was the taste testing although I could not bring myself to try the cacao bean straight out of the pod, just too gross looking to me haha I have no idea what I thought a cacao bean looked like but I certainly did not have an accurate picture in my mind LOL The chocolate tastings were so delicious!! It was hard to pick a favorite, so I had to purchase several different types!! Our tour ran over by about 30 minutes and no one in our tour group minded one bit!! Noone on the tour even realized we had gone over until Leigh realized and quickly ushered us to our cart to be taken back to the store! If you go to Lavaloha, be sure to tour the Memorial garden in front of the parking lot..absolutely gorgeous tropical plants and flowers planted on a sunken lava tube! Grandsons enjoyed feeding the ducks that hang out around the garden!! I cannot recommend Lavaloha enough!! Thanks again to Jess and Leigh for a wonderful afternoon!!! read more

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Updated* Sorry to miss the last tour of the day on our visit, but the grounds looked lovely. Will definitely be back to catch a tour next time... Will know to book ahead. The chocolate looked great! A special Thank you to Napua for outstanding customer service to ensure our visit was the best it could be. read more

We had a great time on the tour learning how the cocoa pods become chocolate. It was the perfect mix of exploring, learning, and tasting. Our guide Jesse was charming and knowledgeable. read more

Had the best time here. Our group agreed this was one of the highlights of our trip. We tried lots of samples of chocolate and cacao which was delicious I couldn't get enough of it. Learned a lot about the process of making chocolate and had a wonderful tour guide Deus. Thanks for the great tour would love to come back next time I'm in Hilo! read more

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Absolutely a must experience on the island, Derek made our trip! The tour was fantastic and chocolate was divine!!!! Such an amazing gem we just stumbled onto, don't miss this opportunity you'll be so glad you did it! Side note... the road is long, when you start to second guess your direction... just keep going and enjoy the view! read more

Highly recommend this tour! We had 2 young girls, so we decided to take the mini bus tour. Jeremy was an excellent tour guide who was very knowledgeble! What a beautiful farm! read more

This is an amazing place to visit! Derick was an amazing tour guide and he made the tour the best part of our trip. The chocolate is to die for and I plan on coming back again and again. Thank you so much for making our Hawaiian vacation perfect. read more

The tour at the farm was wonderful oh, our guide was very knowledgeable. We had a great time. Would definitely go again. Each group gets their own tour. Everyone was very personable and the chocolate samples were divine. I would highly recommend. read more

This is such an amazing tour! You learn a lot about the chocolate making process. And a huge plus is you even get to taste it! The chocolate is so amazing. The views are also amazing! I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun informative way to explore Hilo! It was also super easy to bring my 2 year old and 3 month old! Highly recommend! read more

Lavaloha - View from gift shop - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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What a beautiful experience! The farm tour was very informative and the grounds were stunning. The chocolate was so delish. Our tour guide Derick, was wonderful and so kind! He was really passionate and knew so much about the land and his work on the farm. read more