Hawaii Chocolate

We are really excited by the idea of Chocolate in Hawaii. Not just any chocolate, but Hawaii grown chocolate. Did you know Hawaii is the only state that can grow chocolate? There are still only about 200 acres or fewer in production (making Hawaii one of the rarest chocolates in the world) but that number is increasing steadily. The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory in Kona was a pioneer in Hawaii Chocolate. Pam and Bob Cooper grow, harvest, ferment, dry and roast their own beans and process it into chocolate, all on their own farm. Waialua Estate on the North Shore of Oahu is the largest cacao farm in Hawaii with 25 productive acres. They grow, harvest, ferment and dry their beans then ship them to Guittard in California to transform it into chocolate on state of the art equipemnt not yet to be found in Hawaii. There are dozens of other small farms on Kauai,Oahu, Big island and Maui, ranging from about 2-5 acres in size. Our hope is that one day Hawaii will support an industry in chocolate like the Napa Valley has done with wine. Our own trees are thriving in Maui...watch for our chocolate in a year or two.

Lahaina Maui Chocolate Kitchen

Our Lahaina, Maui Chocolate kitchen is under construction with a mid October target date to be up and running (which means a party!) The kitchen is located at 75 Kupuohi St, in the Lahaina Industrial area, Its inside the Lahaina Design Center, home of Archipelago Hawaii, kitchen designer Rick Cowan, Davis Tile and Marble and At Home Home Theatre.We can't wait to get some chocolate working in this beautiful kitchen. We will have a walk in retail showcase where you can purchase fresh chocolates.
Umm I'm already going thru my own chocolate withdrawal since I packed up the enrober and equipment to ship to Maui on the barge.

Pineapple Starfruit

I am so excited every time we find perfect starfruit in the farmers market. (which is not often). To be a chocolate decoration they have to be exactly the right size, and ripeness. We take them, slice them and dry them carefully in our Excaliber dehydrator and the little stars are adorable when finished.
When I've collected enough stars we produce a chocolate called Pineapple Starfruit. This confection is made with Waialua Hawaiian Milk Chocolate on the inside. It has a rich caramel raisiny flavor enhanced by pureed pineapple, fresh cream and a splash of starfruit juice. Its then enrobed in dark chocolate and decorated with the dried star.

Because its so scarce, Pineapple Starfruit is only offered in our pretty ocean blue 7 pc tropical box along with Lilikoi Silk, Mango Ginger, Kona Coffee, Macadamia Nut ,Coconut Creme Brulee and Island Spice ( Fresh young Ginger, Kona Vanilla,Kona Cinnamon and Puna Cloves, all spices sourced on the Big Island). This box makes a great gift to take home to friends in those cold climates who are dreaming about the tropics.