Plantation Tours
1–2 hours
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Recommended by 96% of travelers
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from
$85
per adult
Maui Chocolate Tour
Maui Chocolate Tour
5
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Full view
About
Your journey begins at the Ku’ia Estates Chocolate Factory in Lahaina, the largest chocolate factory in the state of Hawaii. Our tour guide then drives you to our private cacao estate, nestled in the foothills of the West Maui mountains. Featuring over 20 acres of cacao trees, our professional and friendly tour guides lead you from “farm to bar.” This interactive and educational tour introduces you to our cacao trees, the hands-on fruit harvesting techniques, and finishes with an exclusive 9-piece tasting of our award-winning chocolate.
Lahaina, Hawaii
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by Maui Chocolate Tour
Food & Drink
1–2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$125
per adult
Travelers talk about
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,249 reviews
Excellent
1,129
Very good
75
Average
21
Poor
15
Terrible
9
AKMama2016
Palmer, AK1 contribution
Feb 2021 • Family
It was a nice experience. I enjoyed seeing the cocoa pods and learning about the growing of them. Ultimately there wasn’t a lot to it and my kids were a little bored. It would have been more fun to see more of the process after the pod comes off the tree. For one adult and two kids, paying over $200 feels like far too much. It’d have been worth maybe $20 per person. I still enjoyed the experience though!
Written February 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us! We're glad you had fun and we'll take your feedback to heart!
Written March 4, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
hardtosay
San Mateo, CA324 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
I find it a bit difficult to rate this tour. We mostly enjoyed it. Our guide was friendly and informative. The treehouse setting for the chocolate tasting part of the tour was beautiful, and it was really fun (especially for my 7 year old) to be able to try 10 different chocolates. It was neat to see the different varieties of cacao pods growing on the trees, and to see how they've planted other trees to offer natural windbreaks and canopy.
Learning about the story of how this particular cacao farm came into being was almost more fascinating than learning about how they grow and process cacao. This was partly because I've taken a chocolate factory tour before where they talked about how chocolate was made, and not much more information was offered on this tour. We got to see the trees and the discarded harvested pods, and to look at small jars of the different stages of processing (beans, nibs, etc), but didn't actually see the fermentation or other steps, or anything in the chocolate factory itself. If you've never done a chocolate tour before, it probably would be more informative to you. Reading between the lines on what drove the decisions made in the foundation of this farm was ... interesting.
I haven't done the chocolate tasting only tour, so I don't know how the information you get compares to what you learn on the farm tour. If they do talk about the process of making chocolate during the tasting, then I'm not entirely sure I think the farm tour is worth the extra money, unless you really like to see the growing plants (and the treehouse definitely had a nicer view/setting for the tasting than the rooftop patio, which was nice). And a note of caution on buying chocolates in the store - their pricing works out to something like $1 per 5g of chocolate. The chocolate bars, which are on a shelf behind the cashier and not out where you can pick them up, are less than 1 oz each and sell for $6-8. If we had realized that before we bought them, we probably wouldn't have (they also didn't have bars of our favorite flavor from the tasting, guava). To be fair, the story of what led the owner to build a chocolate factory and not just as cacao farm should have warned us that the prices would be really high.
All this is not to say I wouldn't recommend the tour, but you should decide for yourself what you're looking for and what it's worth to you.
Learning about the story of how this particular cacao farm came into being was almost more fascinating than learning about how they grow and process cacao. This was partly because I've taken a chocolate factory tour before where they talked about how chocolate was made, and not much more information was offered on this tour. We got to see the trees and the discarded harvested pods, and to look at small jars of the different stages of processing (beans, nibs, etc), but didn't actually see the fermentation or other steps, or anything in the chocolate factory itself. If you've never done a chocolate tour before, it probably would be more informative to you. Reading between the lines on what drove the decisions made in the foundation of this farm was ... interesting.
I haven't done the chocolate tasting only tour, so I don't know how the information you get compares to what you learn on the farm tour. If they do talk about the process of making chocolate during the tasting, then I'm not entirely sure I think the farm tour is worth the extra money, unless you really like to see the growing plants (and the treehouse definitely had a nicer view/setting for the tasting than the rooftop patio, which was nice). And a note of caution on buying chocolates in the store - their pricing works out to something like $1 per 5g of chocolate. The chocolate bars, which are on a shelf behind the cashier and not out where you can pick them up, are less than 1 oz each and sell for $6-8. If we had realized that before we bought them, we probably wouldn't have (they also didn't have bars of our favorite flavor from the tasting, guava). To be fair, the story of what led the owner to build a chocolate factory and not just as cacao farm should have warned us that the prices would be really high.
All this is not to say I wouldn't recommend the tour, but you should decide for yourself what you're looking for and what it's worth to you.
Written August 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thechipmaster
Portland, OR36 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
I can never look or eat chocolate the same after the tour.
If you like a high end wine tasting experience but want to learn about high end chocolate this is for you!!
John our tour guide was so knowledgeable and shared such great and detailed story and science about cacao and how it is turned into high end chocolate and the history of how a Bio Physics PhD got into chocolate and the challenges of growing this in Maui. I always thought it was beans like coffee, not, I was wrong and learned so much.
This was about info and details about chocolate and not your standard adventure or tourist thing. If you love science, chocolate, and how someone who loves Hawaii is trying to making a business in this crazy expensive environment you'll love this experience.
Rough ride to a small plantation and great info to and from. Also a great tasting of 9 special chocolates in a tree house with great views of the mountains and ocean. The store has a great fully solar powered lounge on top and factory. The owner Gunar if you belief the hype does this all for love, saw him working inside,
Come to learn about chocolate, eat some, and support a great cause
If you like a high end wine tasting experience but want to learn about high end chocolate this is for you!!
John our tour guide was so knowledgeable and shared such great and detailed story and science about cacao and how it is turned into high end chocolate and the history of how a Bio Physics PhD got into chocolate and the challenges of growing this in Maui. I always thought it was beans like coffee, not, I was wrong and learned so much.
This was about info and details about chocolate and not your standard adventure or tourist thing. If you love science, chocolate, and how someone who loves Hawaii is trying to making a business in this crazy expensive environment you'll love this experience.
Rough ride to a small plantation and great info to and from. Also a great tasting of 9 special chocolates in a tree house with great views of the mountains and ocean. The store has a great fully solar powered lounge on top and factory. The owner Gunar if you belief the hype does this all for love, saw him working inside,
Come to learn about chocolate, eat some, and support a great cause
Written December 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us and taking the time to leave such an informative review! We're so glad you learned so much and filled your tummy!
Written December 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yangon
27 contributions
Aug 2021
I was there to buy chocolate. They allow only 5 person at a time. They focus on tasting more. Some people are wandering inside more and they did not buy much because products are expensive. They should gave priority who will be sure to buy. I felt awkward with their staff.
Written September 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for sharing your experience! We will be sure to share this with the store so they can make sure that all our customers feel valued.
Written September 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sandra G
4 contributions
Jul 2022
The Chocolate tour seemed like a great idea; we wanted to understand the process and so we signed up. The venue is beautiful and has such possibilities. Our family does a lot of events for church and our business so we know quality when we see it. The video that they put on had a glare on it so we couldn't see it. The location was SUPER noisy with trucks and so the girl doing the tour couldn't be heard. She needed a mic or needed to move closer to the guests so that we could hear her. The other tour arrived and interrupted the presentation for a good 10 minutes because they were talking, checking in and didn't realize another tour was going on. We would highly recommend having an outside entity come and help to make this tour a success. It was a lot of money for little enjoyment and/or information.
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us and sharing your experience! We are definitely working hard to find the best way to utilize our space while still a great guided chocolate tasting . We will take your feedback to heart and use it to make a better experience for our guests. Mahalo!
Written July 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KelvinTravelz
San Ramon, CA1 contribution
Mar 2021
We highly recommend doing the chocolate tour. Mark did an amazing job of describing how chocolate is made from the the cocao bean selection, growing environment, production, and tasting the finer points of chocolate blends. You can’t beat eating delicious chocolate with gorgeous view overlooking the cocao farm with the backdrop of the Maui channel and Lanai island. The founder, Gunars Valkirs, story is nothing short of inspiring and admirable. We need more people like Gunars in this world!
Written March 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us! We're so glad you enjoyed our chocolate and Ku'ias amazing origin story!
Written April 9, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mareniets
Wooster, OH1 contribution
Jun 2023
This chocolate tasting event was the most fun activity we planned for our Maui vacation. The tasting took place on the open air second floor of the facility, and we had the most fantastic view with a gentle breeze blowing through. The CEO of the company, Gunars Valkirs, was a gracious host who made us feel right at home. The way he integrated information he about the history of the company and the direction it was going with the chocolate tasting kept us engaged the entire time. This was definitely the best tasting chocolate with the creamiest texture I have ever eaten. The different flavors offered were quite unique. We know we definitely got our money's worth and highly recommend this experience for people of all ages. If you can't experience this yourself, we recommend at least going to their website and ordering chocolate to taste the goodness for yourself!
Written September 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen M
Eagle, ID45 contributions
Aug 2021
We did the Exclusive Guided Cacao Farm Tour + Chocolate Tasting which lasted just over an hour. Going into the grove where the cacao trees were was very interesting. Fun to see the various stages and types of cacao. Enjoyed the education on how they need to protect the trees from some of Maui's elements like occasional high winds. The chocolate tasting was quite fun - up in a treehouse, no less. Our group had a good time, but all agreed that $75 per person for what the tour/tasting entailed was a bit too much. Probably would not recommend unless the price was a bit less.
Written September 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandon K
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA2 contributions
Nov 2020 • Family
We found a tasting really interesting and delicious! Nice way to spend an hour or two, learn some cool stuff, and bring home some unique locally produced treats.
The staff is excellent and the facility is extremely well cared for. Most importantly, the owner has a very serious commitment to develop the business into something that really gives back to the community for the long term. Proceeds from our tasting went straight to the Maui Food Bank.
The staff is excellent and the facility is extremely well cared for. Most importantly, the owner has a very serious commitment to develop the business into something that really gives back to the community for the long term. Proceeds from our tasting went straight to the Maui Food Bank.
Written November 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us and supporting our community!
Written November 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Judi G
14 contributions
Mar 2021
This tour is very worthwhile and I think could be expanded to pair with wines or food. It had a really interesting view of growing the cocoa beans, how they are trying new types all of the time to enhance productivity, and how they get the plants to grow on the dryer side of the island. Each chocolate tasted in the treehouse was unique and the quality was top notch. We may never eat Hershey's again!
Written March 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahalo for joining us! We agree! We are working towards some fun pairing events, stay tuned!
Written March 25, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Is there soy lecithin in the chocolate? I have a severe allergy.
Written December 14, 2022
That didn’t come up during the tour, so if your allergy is as severe as you say, my best recommendation would be for you to contact the company directly so that you get an accurate answer. I think that would be best for your own safety as opposed to relying on the memory of tour goers.
Written December 17, 2022
Are there any nuts or peanuts in your chocolate tour etc? We have an allergy! Not airborn but we can't eat nuts
Please let me know. Thank you.
Written December 11, 2022
Aloha! Our chocolate and factory are 100% nut free! We look forward to seeing you!
Written December 12, 2022
We are considering doing the tour and tasting at the 1:30 or 2:30 time slot (need to figure out when we could make it back after our morning snorkel tour) and wondering how filling the chocolate tasting is. We were planning dinner at maybe 5:30 give or take depending on when we can get the reservation and I would hate to ruin my appetite for a dinner I am looking forward to, but also love chocolate and want to enjoy the tasting. I know this is an odd question, but please humor me :)
Written July 8, 2022
They are right. 9 small samples of chocolate. They will not fill you up.
Written July 9, 2022
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