The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
Located in South Kona on the slopes of Hualalai, the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is something to experience. Whether by checking out their website and ordering some chocolate, or by taking a personal tour from the owner, give these guys a try. Theobroma cacao is the latin name of the cacao tree, where chocolate comes from. Originating in the forests of South and Central America this small tree needs a warm humid climate with good rainfall. Just like coffee cacao is a shade crop, and doesn't like all day sun, making the mountains surrounding Kona the perfect area to grow it. To produce cocoa you ferment the beans, dry them, grade them, roast them, shell the roasted beans, and then they are ground into a paste. This paste is what all chocolate products are made from. The Factory is also helping to make Cacao or Cocoa a realistic crop in the Hawaiian Islands. They sponsor a seedling program, and help prospective farmers establish crops. They even buy the cocoa beans when the farmer is ready to harvest. 
The owners will give you a tour of the farm and factory, if you call them and schedule an appointment. There are no set times for tours. Above is a picture of cocoa beans drying, on the right is a picture of cocoa bean pods, and below is the delicious result of all their hard work: Chocolate! To contact the Factory, call 1-, or follow the link below. Link to The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
To go back to our page on Big Island Agriculture, follow this link
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The Chocolate Factory is located on their farm where they also grow cacao. Making them the only true producers of Hawaiian Chocolate. All other companies import their cocoa beans, or chocolate paste in the form of bricks.
