It’s a sunny Saturday morning in Hilo when my boyfriend and I drive up a rocky road to Lavaloha cacao farm, gazing at the clear, blue sky and empty fields along the way. At the top of the hill, we’re greeted by large palm trees swaying in the wind next to a quaint farmhouse overlooking Hilo Bay. We park the car and […]
“Chocolate is a suspension of particles in cocao butter.” I had to think about that for a minute. Gunars Valkirs is conducting a virtual tasting of his Maui Kuʻia Estate chocolate via Zoom, and I’m listening to him describe, in very scientific terms, what I’m sensing, tasting and feeling when I bite into one of
I make a scoop with my hand and pull out sticky, slippery white beans from a ridged, yellow pod. It’s a cloudy Friday afternoon in Kapaʻa in East Kauaʻi. I’m in a small clearing in a cacao orchard on Lydgate Farms. Every month, Will Lydgate, the owner and namesake of Lydgate Farms, hosts cacao-harvesting volunteer
Fun fact: Hawaii is the only state where cacao trees grow, and many local chocolate companies are using Island-grown chocolates in their candies and treats. Here’s how your favorite chocolate companies stacked up in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards. 1. Hawaiian Host This company, which started in 1927, was the pioneer of the now-iconic chocolate-covered
