My wife had been wanting to make her own chocolate bar for years and I was primarily interested in the process every time we come to Kauai. Well, we finally pulled the trigger on it and did the experience...and it was well worth it. Lance, the owner and instructor was fantastic. With only 8 spots available, you have to book this as soon as it is available. The shop is only 300 sq. Ft. So any more people would be too much and the set up was perfect. It is amazing this small space produces the chocolate! The overall lesson is great because he takes you from bean to chocolate. This is not tree to chocolate because he doesn't have the trees nor does he have the pods and that part of the collection process (however, Lance, if you or your wife are reading this, it might be a great future endeavor to have an option to work with one of your partners and add on the collection tour before!). While he doesn't have the collection process, Lance does an excellent job speaking to the process once beans are collected. From there, the chocolate making and tasting process is thoroughly explained and you are part of it. Finally, making your chocolate is a lot of fun and there are roughly 30 ingredients you can use for your 2 bars. I personally made: an Indian spice flavor chocolate for half a bar, coconut sea salt for second half, matcha coconut sea salt for 3rd half, and coffee bean sea salt for last). Bring your creativity! Thank you Lance for this fantastic experience. read more

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Very informative, great chocolate. My grandson and I had a fun time learning and making our own chocolate bars.

We needed something to do on a cooler day & saw this experience making chocolate bars many times in previous years on the island. I can't remember when the current owner purchased the business but it was around the time of Covid. We enjoy experiences where we get to make things. This one was about making 70% chocolate bars & learning the process . We were there for 1.5 hrs at $75/person.. we were very excited about the class. The 1st 30 min was a rehearsed speech about the history & process of making chocolate. Afterwards we sampled some chocolate, had a tiny bit of chocolate tea & learned about tempering chocolate. Last, we were most excited about making our own bars... but there was little instruction about how toppings & flavors matched or how much to use. There was a wide variety of toppings & additives in small jars. The owner said it's up to the individual - which is correct but some guidance would have been appreciated. We found the toppings we used were stale. Even the dried fruits had no flavor.. we use dried fruit all the time at home & it never tastes like this fruit. We never tried the Wild Kauai bars the owner sells- but I sure hope they use fresher ingredients. The chocolate was also a bit gritty. We were not impressed. Chocolate never lasts long at our house (including 70+ %) but the bars we made were sampled but sit uneaten. The owner didn't like a lot of questions. To us, this could have been a fun adventure. We were disappointed with the quality of the chocolate/toppings & interaction with the owner. It's possible we caught the owner on a bad day but we were overall disappointed. The one thing we would recommend changing - fresh toppings. read more

Funtastic for the whole family Lance is a great cacao bean to chocolate bar teacher and chocolate maker. Interesting background ( starting with how and why of beans) and then interesting and FUN making our own custom bars!!! Lance's story on owning the chocolate factory was awesome. Whole family found awesome. Will probably come back on our next visit to kauai- it was that much fun read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Just one step in the manufacturing: tempering - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

This experience exceeded our expectations in every way! Lance is super knowledgeable and clearly enjoying his passion of chocolate making. We highly recommend the chocolate bars. read more

We had such a fun time doing the create your own bar class. First, what a great idea. This is such a fun class whether you're visiting with kids, on a date or with a group. Second, Lance was awesome. He kept everyone involved and engaged the whole time. He was so informative and injected some humor during the 90 minutes. It honestly went by so fast. Last, the part when you are creating the bars was so much fun. Our family loves chocolate and candy, so we were all in for this. There were more than enough toppings to make some great chocolate bars. All in all this was a really fun way to spend 90 minutes. I highly recommend this. If I find my way back to Kauai, I'd love to do this again. read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - a table full of jars of food - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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My daughter and I did the Build a Bar class and it was so much fun. We learned a lot about cacao and how it goes from farm to chocolate as we know it. We got to make two chocolate bars each and there were so many options for add in's! I did chili powder, pineapple, and sea salt; it was delicious! Lance knows so much about making chocolate; he was great. Bonus points for being a nut free kitchen! read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Chocolate bar - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Had a great time! Lance was funny, informative and the subject matter very interesting. We sampled different types of chocolate and each made 2 bars od dark chocolate, adding our favorite ingredients. Highly recommend, and I'm not a huge chocolate lover like my wife! read more

I loved the fact that Lance allowed me to do all the tasks rather than just lecture and demonstrate. I am not interested in running a business, but for those who are, included, is pertinent information about how to set one up, valuable information for anyone who wants to make chocolate for a living. The shop is small but productive, and is a gluten, nut and dairy free operation, in keeping with the original owner's intention. In addition to the intensive I attended, they offer inexpensive 3 hour, "build a bar" chocolate classes where visitors can learn about chocolate making, temper chocolate and make two bars of high quality chocolate that can be flavored with a variety of ingredients from the shop's vast collection. Lance allowed me to create many flavor combinations using the chocolate left over from one of the classes. All in all a great experience! Thank you Lance! read more

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My sister and I had an amazing hour with Lance. Lance is the sole owner and employees. We made Santas for the holiday. These not some itty bitty thumb sized Santa's either. Santa was a full bodied jolly fellow at 4 oz of yummy mess. When our Santa's chilled in the fridge hardening. We colored and Lance read Christmas stories. I highly recommend this activity for families with children. However, as two sixty something ladies we had a blast. read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Finished Santas. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

I nearly gave up looking for some fun cooking, culinary or chocolate-tasting experience in Kaua'i. Then I found Wild Kaua'i Chocolate and immediately signed up for the chocolate bar class. Wild Kaua'i Chocolate was easy enough to find. Wife dropped me off for my adventure. I think I asked Lance more questions than he knew was possible in a single day, and he graciously indulged my curiosity. I walked away two bars richer and smarter with a great memory. And the bars are DELICIOUS! read more

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I went to the Make a Bar of Chocolate class on 4/1. It was thoroughly enjoyable and Lance was very engaging. He provided lots of interesting information about the process, from beans to bar. Great for adults and children alike. read more

Omg! Phenomenal chocolate. My hubby is a major dark chocolate fan, and their chocolates put a huge smile on his face. We bought three bats (sorry guys, none will be gifts for friends & family). We got a chance to taste several different options, and we splurged...buying three --peppermint with 70% dark numminess, the 70% bar. and the specialty bar of cardamom and 70% dark chocolate bliss. This is craft chocolate and worth the price. After watching the master chocolatier hand cutting and wrapping bars into their custom packaging, we fully understood the love that goes into making each bar. The place is not easy to find--the sign is small. Park by the coffee place and walk in front of the building. The door and tasting room are hobbit size, so don't take too many friends. Four guests fit comfortably. Chocolate tasting was free between 12p and 3p. Chocolate bars are available in a couple of local stores if you miss tasting times. read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Wild Kauai Chocolate bars - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Lance provided a very informative and interesting experience. I had no idea of all the work that goes in to making chocolate.

What a fun experience! A charming little storefront with the most gracious and knowledgeable host. If you like chocolate, and would love to know more about its history, how it grows, and how it's processed, then this would be a great experience for you. 90 minutes of information, participation, tastings, and leaving with two chocolate bars you made and flavored yourself! It was a fun way for me to spend a morning on the day we were leaving the island. Colorado transplant Lance is extremely passionate about his love for chocolate and his business, please support him in his chocolate endeavors! I don't think anybody realizes how labor-intensive a bite of delicious chocolate can actually be. Good information to know for some; they are gluten-free, dairy free, and nut free, so people with these concerns need not worry! read more

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As a family ( ages 10 to 80+) we all thoroughly enjoyed our chocolate making class with Lance. It was informative, fun, interactive, and good value. I would be more than happy to go to another class there. PLUS ... the chocolate tastes amazing!! Thank you Lance, we had a fun time, wishing your family and business ongoing success in Kauai. read more

The wild Kauai Chocolate bar making experience was such a change from other farm/food/tours that are very common in Hawaii. Our experience was with the Wild Kauai Chocolate owner where he gave us an informative education on Chocolate history and his own journey to owning and operating a chocolate making kitchen. My favorite part had to be tempering the chocolate right on the granite counter. We used a scrapper baking tool to spread and play with the gooey goodness. It was extremely relaxing and immersive of the craft. I made one decadent bar with cimarron,coffee, vanilla and Sea salt, and and one tropical bar with pineapple, mango, orange and coconut. Which ingredients will you choose? read more

We live in the North Shore and made a group reservation to learn about chocolate. Boy was it fun! He is very clean and organized in his kitchen and we were about to ask questions at the end and create our own willie wonka chocolate bars! Highly recommend this place! read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Hmmm what flavors should I add? - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

OMG! We did your chocolate bar making class and it was our absolute favorite thing we did on our vacation, We were blown away by all the steps to make a chocolate bar and all the care that goes into each step, including separating the beans by hand. Lance's presentation was fun and informative. He kept all of us engaged in his presentation. He was entertaining as he shared his knowledge with us. I will definitely be placing orders from the mainland! Thank you for a great morning and we will be back! read more

We booked here for the day after we toured the lydgate chocolate farm - they pair great together from being out in the field seeing the trees,process,history to getting in the kitchen with Lance the next day to experience the finishing product process where lydgate leaves you. Very friendly and fun atmosphere and you get to build two of your own chocolate bars. read more

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Fabulous chocolate bars. Worth the premium price. It spoils you for other bars. Website could make it easier to order.

Lance, one of the owners is awesome!! We went to the Princeville Botanical Gardens were we sampled one of the chocolates he made using their cocoa beans, and we knew we had to try the other chocolates he made. He let us sample all 6 kinds he offered at the time and we ended up buying 6 bars. The coffee, 70% and peppermint ones are so divine and delicious! Would recommend going to him for great chocolate or to take a class he offers! read more

Great fun! Well worth the fee and your time while visiting Kauai. Located in Kapaa. Easy to get there and plenty of parking. Lance is a dynamic personality. The cheerful kind. I'll do it again on my next trip here. read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Just making chocolate. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Did the bean 2 bar class with my son, wife and a couple other family members and had a blast. Learned so much about the process of making chocolate bars and Lance was full of information and made the experience so enjoyable. I'd you're on Kauai and want to have a fun experience and make your own chocolate check this place out!! read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Tempering chocolate, getting it ready to pour into our moulds - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

My friend and I went here and got to make a chocolate bar. The owner is very nice and patient with everyone. It was fun to make a chocolate bar with what I like in it. They also sell chocolate bars and cubes they have made which are very delicious. read more

The bar making class is well worth it! Very fun experience! Definitely more fun with a smaller group.

A must do when you come to the island lance is very noligable and nice ohya the best part chocolate you make and then take home

It was an informative and engaging class we learned the chocolate basics and got to build our own bar with a wide variety of toppings Darin and Elisa read more

Wonderful experience! My husband and I spent a couple of hours with Lance learning about the process of making chocolate and some cocoa bean history. We enjoyed it so much, especially being able to make our own delicious chocolate bars. Thank you Lance for helping us add another nice memory for our Hawaii vacation. read more

What a fun way to spend 90 minutes learning about the chocolate making process and then walking away with two self-created bars with the toppings of your choice. Most fun with a group of family or friends. Thank you Lance for an entertaining morning. read more

Fun for the whole family! My 9-yo son, hubby, mother-in-law, and I all thoroughly enjoyed our chocolate making experience at Wild Kauai Chocolate. We learned a lot about chocolate and chocolate-making, and had a lot of fun in the process. We all enjoyed making our own bar with different flavors. I highly recommend this experience for anyone who wants to take a morning out of the sun and do something out-of-the-ordinary. read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Fun for the whole family! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

My husband and I had a fun educational experience with Lance. His passion and enthusiasm of chocolate was nice. The different and some exotic ingredients we were freely able to add to our chocolate bar was interesting. We were so impressed with his chocolates that we left with 2 more chocolate bars(already made). I would highly recommend that if in Kaui... wild Kaui chocolate is worth a destination!!! Will definitely bring my grandchildren (6 and 8 y/o)here next time. read more

My wife suggested we go and make some chocolate bars. Not a fan of dark chocolate I did agree for her. WOW! Lance was so personable and gave us his full attention for an hour and a half! It was fun learning and making the chocolate bars. It was the best time we had for the money we spent. When we return we very likely will schedule another session. read more

Lance was so helpful and knowledgeable, great experience overall. What a fun idea to create your own chocolate bar and also get to taste his creations! Would highly recommend! read more

Lance was great!! He made the entire experience of learning about chocolate from bean to bar and to making our very own 2 personalized artisanal bars so enjoyable for me and my friends. Definitely a must do for those looking for a fun family activity to do on the island. read more

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My husband and I had an amazing time at the chocolate making class with Lance. Delicious chocolate and tea ! Very informational and hands on. Highlight of our trip ! read more

Wild Kauai Chocolate - Lots of toppings / mix ins , something for everyone ! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Lance is amazing!! This is a must do when on the island. To support a small shop, and learn about the making and history of chocolate is so much fun! This was something different to do when visiting Kauai. It was so much fun to make your own creation chocolate bar!! Through this class you will learn about the intricate steps to acquire cocoa and make it into a chocolate bar with your own additions (rose, lavender, sea salt and so much more to choose from). Go visit Lance either to buy his chocolate or make your own bar it is a great experience! #wildkauaichocolate read more

I took my son here to make chocolate Santas and he had a terrific time! Perfect place to take the keiki, especially if they love chocolate! i would highly recommend! read more

Debbie and Kellie supported the B Rad Foundation event on the island and donated two certificates for their Build-A-Bar chocolate class. We won one of the certificates and emailed Kellie to see if we could squeeze into their sold out classes! Fortunately for us, they were able to fit us in on a Friday morning. They are located next to Street Burger and across from Kintaro in Kapaa. Just south of the Coconut Marketplace on Kuhio Highway. What an amazing way to start the day! We joined a mother and her young son who were also taking the class. Debbie, the owner greeted us and asked us to wear booties and gloves. The room is kept very cool since you are working with a temperature sensitive ingredient! She explained how she sources her chocolate. Each bar is made with single origin chocolate from either Bali, Ecuador or Hawaii. The flavor of each bar is unique since it has a different terroir. The beans are sorted for rocks, twigs, bugs. Roasted in small batches, winnowed, ground using a super cool machine that Debbie's family adapted from a YouTube video! You will get to grind the chocolate as well! They add organic sugar, temper, age and mold the chocolate into bars. You will get to temper and mold the chocolate in your class. You can add essential oils to your chocolate, coffee, dried fruit, potato chips or even something you brought from home like bacon or arare for some island flavor! We had so much fun experimenting! I made a half chai bar and the other half, potato chips. Each bar is wrapped in gold foil afterwards. You are encouraged to keep your bars cold. So you might want to bring a cooler in case you aren't going home right away. I will most certainly take this class again! We both learned a lot about sourcing and making chocolate and had fun making these bars. I will bring specific mix ins to the class for my bars next time. Debbie just opened this shop in May and I look forward to seeing how the business has grown by next summer. Don't wait to book your class! Bringing back omiyage (souvenirs) that you made is the best kind of treat. read more

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As self-proclaimed chocoholics, I was thrilled to find this unique experience while searching for rainy day activities in Kauai. Lance did not disappoint! From the moment we walked into his quaint shop/kitchen, we were immediately drawn in by the fabulous aroma of chocolate and interesting equipment at work. Lance gave us a brief history of how he and his wife became owners of the chocolate shop just prior to Covid lockdown, and how they've managed to make a go of this unique opportunity. There were 10 of us in the chocolate bar workshop, and we all had an amazing time. From learning the health benefits of chocolate to understanding the process of turning cacao into the finished process, and of course tasting some, my husband and I had a great time. We each crafted two of our own chocolate bars from the dozens of mix-ins available. I leaned towards the healthy, adding lavender, ashwaghanda, matcha powder and chia seeds, to name a few. My husband stuck to pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sea salt and cinnamon. Overall, we found the experience to be well worth the time and money spent, and highly recommend it! read more