A Chocolate Tour experience by Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: Hawaiʻi-grown criollo chocolate, tasted at the farm where it was made. Bob Cooper leads every tour himself through his working cacao plantation in Keauhou, South Kona.
Large photoBob leads every tour himself; the orchard walk is where he explains the difference between cacao varieties, including the rare criollo grown on-site.
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The walking paths through the orchard are shaded throughout, and chairs are placed at most stops along the route.
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Beans are sun-dried on the farm for several days after fermentation, a step that directly affects flavor before roasting even begins.
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The tasting at the end of the tour covers three varieties: milk, dark, and rare criollo, all grown and processed on the same Keauhou property.
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The pulp surrounding the seeds tastes citrusy and tropical, nothing like finished chocolate. Tasting it fresh is a regular stop on the tour.
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The factory portion of the tour shows each processing stage in sequence, from roasting through to the hand-molding of finished bars.
Tour Highlights:
- Guided walk through a working cacao orchard in Keauhou
- Fresh cacao pod opened on-site; taste the raw pulp (seasonal)
- Watch sun-drying, roasting, and hand-molding in sequence
- Chocolate tasting: milk, dark, and rare criollo
- Owner-led, small-group format
- Shaded paths with seating at most stops
Important: Tours run Wednesdays and Fridays only; advance reservations are required and directions to the farm are sent only after booking is confirmed.
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $30 | $12 |
Price note: Children aged 5 and under are free (but must be accompanied by an adult)
Tour Provider: Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
Activity: Chocolate Tour
Tour start time: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Departure from: Keauhou
Pick-up available? No
Included: Chocolate tasting (milk, dark, criollo)
Cancellations: Customers will receive a full refund with 24 hours notice of cancellation. Customers will also receive a full refund in case of operator cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Read more: about chocolate tour in our Big Island chocolate tour guide.
The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is a family-run cacao plantation in Keauhou, South Kona, about 15 minutes from downtown Kailua-Kona. Bob Cooper and his family grow, process, and package all their chocolate on-site. Bob leads every tour himself. The owner-led, vertically integrated, working farm, combination, is still uncommon even among the Big Island’s cacao operations.
From Orchard to Tasting Room
The 1 hour tour moves through the production process in order. You begin in the orchard, where Bob cuts open a fresh cacao pod so you can examine the seeds and taste the raw pulp. From there the tour follows the beans through sun-drying on outdoor racks between the orchard and the factory, then through roasting and processing before ending where bars are hand-molded. Watching the sequence in physical space, each step visible from the last, gives you a clearer picture of how much labor goes into a single bar than any classroom explanation could. The tasting covers three varieties: milk, dark, and criollo. Criollo is a rarer cultivar that produces noticeably less bitter chocolate than the varieties used by most commercial producers. Most visitors haven’t tasted it before.
The walking paths through the orchard are shaded, and chairs are placed at most stops along the route. Directions to the farm are provided only after your reservation is confirmed. This is a working agricultural property and Bob runs it that way.
Before You Book
Admission is $30 for adults (ages 13 and up), $12 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. Tours run Wednesdays and Fridays only, at 9am and 11am. Advance reservations are required, and arriving 15 minutes before your tour time is strongly recommended. The on-site shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 3pm if you want to purchase chocolate without taking the tour.
Nearly 600 reviews reflect a consistent pattern: Bob’s depth of knowledge about cacao cultivation and the science of chocolate production comes through clearly even in a short format, and the small-group size means there is room to ask questions. The main practical caveat is the schedule: two days a week at two times each, so build in some flexibility when planning your Kona itinerary.
Bob Cooper leads every tour himself, which is increasingly uncommon among the Big Island’s farm operations at any scale. At $30 per adult, this is the most affordable full bean-to-bar experience on the Kona coast, and one of the few tours where criollo chocolate is both grown and tasted on-site. Best suited for visitors staying in the Keauhou or South Kona area who want a focused, unhurried experience.
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