We have lived here for a little over a year and take all of our guests on the Tree to Chocolate your. The tour guides are great fun and informative and you get to sample lovely chocolates. What's not to like? read more

I enjoyed the tour and learned much about cocoa and the process of making chocolate. Thanks to our tour guide Phil. Mahalo Leilani read more

We loved seeing cocoa trees growing and learn more about the complex process of making chocolate. The favorite part of the tour was cutting open a cocoa fruit right from the tree and tasting it. The chocolate they make at the farm is truly exceptional - high quality and sophisticated flavors. Thanks to our amazing guide Leigh for the wonderful tour! read more

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My family and I had an absolute wonderful time with our tour guides Phil and Jess! Phil was our main tour guide and he kept things entertaining and informative making this such a unique and memorable experience! I highly recommend this tour. The tastings were great and the farm was beautiful! read more

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My kids and I made an unplanned stop here on our drive around Hilo, and I'm so glad we did! We were able to get on a tour, even though we hadn't reserved ahead of time--and our guide, Jess, was amazing!! We could tell that she really loves what she does, she was funny and gave us a lot of interesting information! It's a bit pricey, but if you've never seen "where chocolate comes from" this is a fun and scenic way to do so! We enjoyed the sampling from raw beans to finished (delicious) product! My 9 and 14 year olds also enjoyed this activity! read more

We live on the island and have many visitors come to our home. We have gone to many chocolate farms in the past, but we enjoy Lavaloha the most and now take all of our visitors there. It's a great small chocolate farm and also grows coffee beans as well. We love Lavaloha's smooth chocolates the most and that's why we have chosen to take our visitors there's. All of our visitors have loved Lavaloha as well and some ever plan to return to shop there on their next visits. We love all the staff at Lavaloha too and enjoy Lexi's tour a lot. Highly recommended Lavaloha for your next chocolate farm visit. read more

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We took the chocolate tour and had a blast. Learned a lot about chocolate and tasted a lot too. Yum! Definitely a thing to do. read more

Lavaloha - Cacao pods - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Really fun tree-to-chocolate tour! Our tour guide, Leigh, loved sharing her knowledge and had such infectious personality that made the experience so enjoyable. Love that they are a completely vertically integrated cacao farm. The chocolate is so smooth and creamy. Purchased some for ourselves and to share with friends back home! read more

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We lava PJ!!! We had a great time tasting the chocolate and learning how chocolate gets made!!! read more

Lavaloha - We lava PJ!!! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Totally random how we ended up here. Facebook is scary good with their advertising. While vacationing near Kona, we decided to head to Hilo for the day. This place popped up on my FB feed and being the chocolate-lover that I am, we decided to roll it into the things were doing that day. Too late to book an official tour, but the young lady working the gift shop gave us a mini-lesson about how the cacao is harvested and allowed us to sample a couple items. We ended up buying three bags of chocolate (not cheap, but so worth it). Be aware, the road there will have you convinced you're going the wrong way. There's a locked metal gate, but drive on up and it has the number to call posted and they'll open the gate from the gift shop. read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Please Please go on this tour!!! Changed my life . I will never eat grocery store chocolate again. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable . We ate our way though this tour- from the Cocoa fruit pod to the final product. Everything was amazing . This is a small scale operation so we really got a feel for chocolate . The gift store was also good. We purchased a lot of chocolates and souvenirs . Prices at the gift store for non chocolate souvenirs were either on par or cheaper than Other farms . So fill up on those gifts here . We even picked up freshly picked lillikoi ( passion fruit) at the gift store . Tip: talk to the tour guide! Our tour guide was not only knowledgeable about chocolate but he also recommended local places to visit . That's how we ended up at the OK coffee farm next door and bought amazing coffee and local farm vegetables . Our tour guide encouraged us to support local Hawaiian farms and restaurants . He was on point . The chocolate tour was so impressive that some on the tour were looking for jobs on the farm Recommendation: on the way up to the farm, there are two parallel roads . If you don't want to drive the gravel pathway, there is a paved running adjacent . If you are driving to the farm, paved road is on the left . Not a lot of walking . We toured the farm in a nice long covered golf cart/ wagon read more

Amazing chocolate tour with Jess! She was energetic and had a ton of personality. She took the time to answer our questions and taught us so much about the process of making chocolate. We had a great time and will definitely be back! Well worth the time, effort and money! read more

This place is magical. The farm is seriously so beautiful, serene and bonus delicious chocolate. It's an easy drive from Hilo, yes through a gate and gravel road but didn't take long. Our tour guide was exceptional, so interesting and fun and the best part of covid is the tours are private with just your group so lots of personalized info and easy to ask questions. My favorite part was they had lots of super healthy, interesting plants for sale at great prices. I spent a ton of time after our tour soaking up local plant info and shopping. Highly recommend this tour, as well as the chocolate if you can find it-very smooth with complex flavor. My favorite was the 70% , seems like it has a naturally lower bitterness no need to try to cover it with sweet. read more

This was a close call between four and five stars for me. my friend and I booked a chocolate tour - we were the only two people on our "walking" tour, which I recommend over a riding tour if all are able and the weather is pleasant - I don't think it would have been as enjoyable riding in a minibus. Everything about the tour was good to great, Derek was a great guide and taught us a lot about chocolate history and production. The samples were also delicious and as mentioned in the other reviews, the cacao was fun to try. The only thing that gives me pause regarding 5 stars is the cost - for $43 with tax, it's definitely a pricier option than other activities, especially given it only lasts an hour. If money isn't of great concern though, I'd definitely make a point to stop here as it is a nice change of pace from other activities on the island. read more

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Fantastic tour- learned, laughed & loaded up on chocolate. Philly wonka found his calling as a charismatic, engaging guide. Touring the farm on the minibus allowed us to cover a lot of ground .. literally .. was convenient, efficient and well worth the trek from Waikoloa. read more

Beautiful farm! Jess our tour guide was wonderful; very knowledgeable and funny. You get to try the cocoa at different stages and lots of the finished product. Great for kids and adults. read more

Beautiful farm and view with knowledgeable tour guides, then they top it off with delicious chocolate samples. We loved it here. read more

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Outstanding staff, very accommodating and it is evident they take pride in the farm and enjoy showing it to visitors. The farm itself very interesting, the process of taking cacao bean trees from growth to the final result of chocolate made the tour great. I certainly bought some chocolate to enjoy with family and friends. Very good! An added bonus were wild pigs running about. read more

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Awesome little out of the way chocolate farm about 10 minutes from Hilo, HI on a one lane road, be ready to give way on the mud. Call to schedule for tours, but might not start until June. The Visitor Center is open to the public from 9am - 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Small stock of chocolate specialty items, chocolate tea, coffee, soap, Cocoa powder, butter, honey, yummy! Come visit. Again one lane and a nice agricultural drive. read more

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We found this chocolate farm in Hilo, it sits on a large amount of land overlooking the ocean, it's off a dirt road, way out of town BUT that's one of the reasons we loved it so much. The main gift shop/chocolate shop looks like a little cottage, the shop owners allow you to sample some chocolate outside on a beautiful porch that opens up to ocean views that can only be seen at the altitude we were at. The air was crisp and you could only hear the birds chirping, no major roads near by means for a wonderfully tranquil experience. We did not do any of the tours as we were pressed for time, the other customers we spoke with were raving about it though. We took our son out back to the suggestion of the cashier, threw a quarter into the birdseed dispenser (see pictures for the level of cuteness we encountered) and fed these cute, ugly, fluffy, "silky chickens." The chickens frolic with some ducks that have settled in a pond made by water collecting around an old lava tube. We felt totally detached from the rest of the world, it was perfection. Please go support this business!!! read more

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On a quick day trip from Oahu, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this tour or not having been on chocolate tours previously in various places in Central and South America. As soon as we arrived - we were welcomed with the warmest aloha. Very accomodating staff that went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable & well taken care of. We did the tour which was super informative with a lot of information about the chocolate-making process and the local environment. I really enjoyed the opportunity to try raw cacao right off the tree (something previous tours of Chocolate farms did not include). The views and pastoral feel were amazing and just what I needed in terms of getting out of the hustle and bustle of Honolulu & NYC. You can tell the family here really takes pride in their craft. From the friendliness and expertise of the tour guide to the warm welcome of the ladies in the gift shop/welcome center to the high quality of their chocolate - nothing here is done haphazardly. Y'all let me say this.... I don't even like chocolate. Yup, I said it. Blasphemous, I know, but I truly have never been a huge fan of chocolate. I never cared for it as a sweet treat, detested it in cake form and ice cream form - and don't get me started on my loathing of chocolate milk they used to force on us in public schools. Yet, the chocolate here was amazing! Nothing was too sweet - nothing was commercial - it was the epitome of artisanal. Everything had unique flavors and remarkable terroir - I found myself having difficulty identifying a favorite - was it the orange? The 70%? Dare I say, the white chocolate? I honestly couldn't decide so we had to purchase 4 or so bags in the gift shop. Apparently, they are about to start up a wine/cheese/chocolate tasting something I 100% would have been down for as the entire time I kept saying I need a nice red wine to accompany this chocolate. Very much can't wait to go back with my in-laws and hope that by that time they are offering a tasting in conjunction with Volcano Winery. Highly recommend this tour as something different to do in the area. The experience was amazing and very different from other farm tours. Don't forget to say hello to their farm animal friends - silkie chickens, ducks, and wild boar! read more

Go ahead and make your way over. It's a bit of a drive path. Look for the white house. Definitely worth making an arrangement to take a tour. Lexy was our guide. She rockef it and had some laughs. (Thanks for that girl!) You learn something and you walk away with all the best feels of chocolate. So yummy. read more

Lavaloha - Welcome to Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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One of the best tours on the island!! I live here and have been multiple times, and will be back many more thanks to the incredible experience provided by BOTH my guides Phil and Leigh! They were both so personable, friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and funny! The value of this tour is great too, you acquire so much knowledge, get some of the most beautiful views this side of the island, and get to sample so many delicious hand crafted high quality chocolate treats. Buy as much as you can in the gift shop, or you will be regretting it when you get home! Highly recommended to tourists and locals alike. True aloha!! read more

Amazing tour. Phil was an awesome guide. Very informative and professional while also being welcoming in all ways. The best part was the tasting room. read more

This tour was awesome!! Thanks in big part to our amazing guide- Jess, she was so friendly and knowledgeable. My mom and I were surprised how much work goes into making chocolate. Definitely recommend if you're in or around the area and looking for something fun/beautiful to experience without breaking the bank. Worth the drive from downtown Kona. Can't wait to visit again Mahalo team Lavaloha! read more

This was a fun, off the grid experience of locals sharing their love of chocolate!! And there is a pretty garden with chickens that you can feed!! read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We had a tour today with Phil. He is highly entertaining. The tour goes through the process of growing, harvesting and creating chocolate. We taste tested various chocolates from dark to milk. The tour was via an open air vehicle. My wife is handicapped having difficulty walking and they provided a step to get in. Most the tour was in the vehicle with one stop in the orchard, one at the processing facility and finally back at the beginning at the store. For those with mobility concerns this is a good choice. Loved the salted dark chocolate. Wife liked the orange chocolate. Anyway we recommend this tour. read more

Fantastic experience!!! We had a group of 8 ranging in age from 15-51 and we all had so much fun. Our guide. Leigh was knowledgeable, personable, engaging, and had us laughing through the whole tour. The open air tour bus made it easy to get to the fields and see all the various crops. We were able to see all the various aspects of manufacturing from pod to finished product. The chocolate tasting was soooooo good. (maikaʻi loa 'ono) We bought a ton of it in the visitor center it was that good! We also walked through the lava tube that they had turned into a garden with stream running through it. The ducks in the pond were so cute. This tour was very informative, fun, and inexpensive. We would definitely come back. read more

Great tour. Our tour guide was both very knowledgeable and personable. All the chocolate we were able to taste was amazing. Thank you for a great tour Phil aka "White Chocolate" for a wonderful visit. I highly recommend this for kids and adults. read more

Lavaloha - One of the many cocoa trees. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Excellent tour!! Do it!!! You will definitely be happy you did!!!!! This was on my to do list for 2 years, finally I did it and enjoyed the tour guide and the gift shop!!! Mahalo read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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What an amazing farm! The tour and Jess were fantastic and only topped by how amazing the chocolate taste. A visit to Lavahola is a must if you are in Hilo. read more

Lavaloha is a great tour with friendly staff just outside Hilo. Beautiful views and a very informative 45 minute tour of the cacao farm with delicious samples along the way. Perfect for the whole family, young children love the samples, of course! My older parents also enjoyed it-you take the tour on a small open air vehicle, so not lots of walking, which was great for them. They have a beautiful 'sunken garden' on the property-they encourage you to roam around and check it out. Nice gift shop as well. Highly recommend! read more

This was a great chocolate farm tour, really interesting. Our tour guide, Phil, was very friendly and engaging with the tour group. The bulk of the tour is conducted from an open air tour vehicle and it is fascinating to learn about the history of the farm and how it came to be, and the different types of cacao plants. The drying room where the cacao seeds are fermented and dried was hot but smelled amazing, like a chocolate cloud. The tour includes chocolate tasting and lots of information about the process of making the chocolate. There is very little walking on this tour, which might be good for someone with mobility issues. read more

What a awesome experience!!! Chocolate- from fruit to bar, you learn the process and learn about the trees that make the fruit! We had an amazing tour guide Leigh who worked on the farm and was very knowledgeable. I highly recommend for all ages!! read more

Excellent tour of the chocolate farm. I learned a lot about how chocolate grows and moves from tree to bar. We got to try the raw fruit, and sampled various flavors of chocolate. Delicious! read more

Lavaloha - Inside a cacao pod - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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We booked this tour because we had seen it on Facebook multiple times. we had family in from out of town and thought this would be a great experience...and they did not disappoint! the farm was so clean, the workers were all friendly and our tour guid, Phil a.k.a "White Chocolate" (we hope it catches on Phil), was amazing! his knowledge of the farm, chocolate and his amazing sense of humor were much appreciated. the tasting was fabulous, the mini bus was comfy and well appointed for those crazy Hilo weather changes. I would recommend this tour 1000%! they support local vendors which is also so amazing. thank you for a beautiful day read more

Amazing. One of the highlights of our trip. I learned so much about chocolate and how it's grown and processed that I think I want to run away and become a cocoa farmer now. Best things: 1. We got to eat a cocoa pod fresh off the tree. Didn't know you could do that! 2. We got to learn about how they're growing their trees on the property and why 3. We got to try the chocolate in it's different states as part of the tour 4. We got to see the processing warehouse where they process the cocoa fruit into something you could use in the chocolatier kitchen 5. We got to ask as many questions as we wanted and the tour guide always had a thoughtful and knowledgeable answer. It was really fun to nerd out about an ingredient that it's east to take for granted 6. The view is incredible I would gladly go on the tour again and again. read more

This lovely tourist attraction is nestled amongst natural beauty, and they have an amazing view of the coast. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, taking us on a tour of chocolate, from start to finish. I was so thankful that there were options of either walking or riding the tour bus since I have severe mobility issues. We even got to taste fresh cacao beans straight from the tree! I thought they'd be bitter but they actually had a sweet, nutty taste. You get to sample each type of delicious chocolate that they make, all of it delicious! They have a store chock full of all types of goodies-and, of course, chocolate. They were also carefully following Covid protocol, which we appreciated. This tour is definitely something I'd recommend. read more

We drove out to the Hilo side of the Big Island and visited the @lavaloha.hawaii cacao farm and learned about the whole process of making kokoleka (chocolate), from farm to table. The tour was incredibly educational and just a fun experience for our family. They kept everything very sanitary and our tour guide was the best. Definitely book your tour in advance but if you can't, it's worth drive up for the view from Mauna Kea and a visit to their cute little shop. read more

Lavaloha - The view was beautiful and serene - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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If you want to experience the nature and beauty of the big island this location has it all and with a bonus of some of the best chocolate you have ever tasted. We took the tour which was hosted by Derek who is an excellent guide and very passionate about the work that is done there. He truly gave us an appreciation for this unique farm. Due to COVID, we enjoyed a private tour with plenty of time to ask questions and learn about the cacao process. Highly recommend you take this tour and even bring lunch to enjoy on the lanai. read more

Lavaloha - Enjoying the beautiful landscape with the best your guide Derek - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii