Collection · 19 places
Visitors and locals looking for the best Hawaiian chocolate on the Big Island.
The Big Island grows more cacao than any other Hawaiian island, with farms scattered across the volcanic slopes of Kona, Hāmākua, and Puna. The combination of microclimate variation and decades of agricultural experimentation has produced a chocolate scene unusually rich for a single island.
This guide covers the Big Island's bean-to-bar makers, working cacao farms with tours, and the cafés that serve their chocolate alongside Kona coffee. Most listings include tour information and ratings.
The first three
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
Tree-to-bar in Papaikou: they grow, ferment, and process their own Big Island cacao on-site. Monthly harvest parties put you in the orchard for the full picture, from fresh cacao juice to finished bar.
Google 5.0 (183)Tours Available
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
Hāmākua Coast cacao farm growing single-estate beans since 2011, with a 'Best Cacao' win at the Big Island Chocolate Festival. Ninety-minute tours run Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday — you pick a pod, watch the fermentation and drying that build its flavor, and taste the finished chocolate.
Google 5.0 (69)Tours Available
Farm tour · Tasting room
The owner is an award-winning fermenter with a master's degree in cacao fermentation and published research — the step that most determines chocolate quality. Tours walk a 33-acre Hāmākua Coast farm with 2,000+ cacao trees and close with a tasting.
Google 5.0 (145)Tours Available
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Compare the picks
Use this table for the quick differences that matter most: location, visit type, product focus, and whether the stop is built around tours or tastings.
| Place | Area | Best for | Tour or tasting | Product focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Hāmākua Chocolate Farm5.0 rating, 183 Google reviews | Papaikou, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, $79 per person | dark chocolate, Hamakua Chocolate Bars ($15 each) |
| 02 Mauna Kea Cacao5.0 rating, 69 Google reviews | Pepeekeo, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, $50 per adult, $25 per child (5-17 years), children under 5 free | dark chocolate, Farm-fresh cacao nibs |
| 03 Honolii Orchards5.0 rating, 145 Google reviews | Hilo, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available | dark chocolate |
| 04 Puna Gold Estate5.0 rating, 53 Google reviews | Pāhoa, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, $35 per person (children under 12 are free) | dark chocolate, Handmade Hawaiian Chocolate |
| 05 Ocean Grace Farms5.0 rating, 1 Google review | Kailua-Kona, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available | dark chocolate |
| 06 Lavaloha Chocolate - Farm Tours4.9 rating, 2,456 Google reviews | Hilo, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, Not specified | dark chocolate, 100% Hawaiian Chocolate |
| 07 Kulike Farm4.9 rating, 25 Google reviews | Hakalau, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, Not specified | dark chocolate, milk chocolate |
| 08 O.K. Farms Hawai'i4.9 rating, 95 Google reviews | Hilo, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available | dark chocolate, Cacao (Chocolate) |
| 09 Hale Cocoa Cafe & Kona Chocolate Farm Tour4.8 rating, 57 Google reviews | Kealakekua, Big Island | Single-origin bars | Check current access | dark chocolate, 100% Kona Coffee |
| 10 Puna Chocolate Company Farm - Kona Cocoa & Coffee Orchard Tours (by reservation only)4.8 rating, 212 Google reviews | Kealakekua, Big Island | Guided farm visit | Tours available, $18-$40 per person | dark chocolate, Crafted Chocolates from Big Island Cacao |
19 places
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
Bean-to-bar from their own 3-acre Puna estate, with guided tours that walk the cacao and coffee fields before the factory. Stephen runs it personally — the kind of place where sourcing starts at your feet.
Google 5.0 (53)Tours Available
Farm tour
Three acres of Kona estate cacao grown under Korean Natural Farming practices — the same orchard produces the single-origin chocolate and is open for walking tours. Cacao ceremony experiences are also available alongside the farm visits.
Google 5.0 (1)Tours Available
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
A 1,000-acre Mauna Kea farm where the growers and the chocolate makers are the same operation — cacao grown, processed, and finished into 100% Hawaiian bars on the same land. The Tree-to-Chocolate tour walks the orchards, into the production area, and finishes in the chocolate lounge with tastings.
Google 4.9 (2,456)Tours Available
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
Honey-sweetened, 100% Hawaiian bean-to-bar made from their own Hakalau permaculture cacao — the sweetener swap alone signals a maker thinking from the ground up. Appointment-only farm tours walk you through fermentation, roast, and tasting on the same land where the trees grow.
Google 4.9 (25)Tours Available
Farm tour · Shop
A 1,000-acre working farm in Hilo along the Wailuku River, growing cacao, coffee, macadamia, and tropical spices together on one property. Tours walk the fields and include a private Rainbow Falls overlook; the gift shop carries their farm-made chocolate, coffee, and spices.
Google 4.9 (95)Tours Available
Farm tour · Bean-to-bar
Working cacao farm in Kealakekua with 1,000 trees and bean-to-bar chocolate made from Big Island–grown cacao. Farm tours walk the 8-acre grounds, then move straight into tasting what those trees actually produce.
Google 4.8 (57)
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6 questions
Hāmākua Chocolate Farm, Mauna Kea Cacao, and Lavaloha Chocolate all run highly-rated farm tours. Puna Chocolate Company operates two locations (Kona and Pahoa) with regular tours and tastings.
Yes — Puna Chocolate's Kona Cocoa & Coffee Orchard runs reservation-only farm tours Wednesday through Saturday at 9am, 12pm, and 3pm. Hale Cocoa is Puna Chocolate's Kona café and shares the same farm.
The annual Big Island Chocolate Festival is hosted at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott on the Kohala Coast, organized by the Kona Cacao Association. Mauna Kea Cacao won Best Cacao at the festival in 2018 and has since been selected to represent Hawaii at the international Cocoa of Excellence competition.
Puna Chocolate Company, Hāmākua Chocolate Farm, and Honoka'a Chocolate Farm all ship nationally through their online shops. Several smaller makers ship on request — check individual maker websites for cut-off dates during warm-weather months.
The Big Island's volcanic soil and dramatic microclimate variation — from the dry Kona side to the wet Hāmākua coast — produce single-origin chocolate with distinct regional flavor profiles.
Several are. Puna Chocolate, O.K. Farms, Hale Cocoa, and Kuaiwi Farm all grow both cacao and coffee, and most offer combined farm tours.
