Lavaloha
5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
We are growers and makers of single origin, 100% Hawaiian chocolate. Our 1,000 acre cacao farm is set high on the slopes of Mauna Kea, just outside of Hilo, where the rich volcanic soil adds depth and flavor to our cocoa beans. We invite you to take the scenic drive up to our Visitor Center where you'll be welcomed with sweeping mauka to makai views. Enjoy samples of our handcrafted chocolates at the Visitor Center & Gift Shop! Embark on a Tree-to-Chocolate Tour with our knowledgeable guides where you'll explore our cacao orchards, walk through our chocolate processing facilities, visit the chocolate lounge and learn about the tree-to-chocolate journey. Our vast lanai (porch) is a great place to take in the views of Hilo. Entrance to our Visitor Center & Gift Shop is free and open to the public.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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- DanEileen_40Irvine, California7 contributionsAn Experience Worth TakingPhil, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and personable. The tour was an hour, but you won’t even notice the time go. We learned about the 3 types of cacao trees grown on the farm and the 4th one in the works, the fruits grown to influence the chocolate favors, and how cacao is processed and used in various chocolate types, coffee, tea, etc. The best part of the tour is tasting the cacao with the mucilage fresh from a newly opened cacao pod and the artisan chocolate samples made directly on the farm. If you are coming from Waikoloa, I suggest you leave a couple of hours early to give you enough time to get there.Aloha and mahalo for visiting! We appreciate you for taking one of our Tree-to-Chocolate Tours with Phil! He's fantastic. Thank you for your kind words as well!Written 11 December 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 6 December 2023
- Dianne CSan Leandro, California1 contributionGo and visit!!Happened to find them on Facebook, after watching a beautiful sunrise. Called Lavaloha as booking online was a bit difficult and they were very easy going! Phil, our tour guide, was not only informative, but quite funny. Tasting the chocolates was definitely a highlight and I HIGHLY recommend this tour!!Mahalo for leaving us such a great review! Phil is great and we're so happy you enjoyed your time with us!Written 11 December 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 7 December 2023
- Ruth KMissoula, Montana9 contributionsLovely farm tourWe did the farm tour and loved it! We went with our three kids ages 11, 14, and 16. Our tour guide Leigh (sp?) was wonderful and we loved tasting the cacao fruit all the way to the delicious chocolates. And the botanical garden was really lovely. Highly recommend!We strive to ensure that our Tree-to-Chocolate tour is an experience that the whole ohana can enjoy no matter what age! Mahalo for taking the time to visit us and leave us 5 star feedback!Written 27 June 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 26 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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5.0
195 reviews
Excellent
187
Very good
5
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
0
icantbarrett
South San Francisco, CA51 contributions
Feb 2021 • Couples
My husband and I took a trip to Hilo and went on this tour. We were not disappointed. We did not know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. Our guide Jeremy had so much passion for this beautiful farm and the chocolate. He is smart as well as fun and oozes aloha. He is a true local and knows his stuff! The grounds are gorgeous and the views are spectacular.
Learning about the cacao plant and tasting the chocolate in such a beautiful place made it an exceptionally fun day. They have big plans for this property and I’m so happy to be in at the beginning of what will be an even greater cacao farm and so much more! Jeremy was energetic talking about its potential and I can’t wait to see how it evolves.
Melissa in the gift shop was wonderful too. She was very sweet and fun to hang out with. They have guidelines to keep guests safe from Covid so we felt comfortable knowing we were safe. We ate the most delicious chocolate on the way home and we look forward to a return visit.
Learning about the cacao plant and tasting the chocolate in such a beautiful place made it an exceptionally fun day. They have big plans for this property and I’m so happy to be in at the beginning of what will be an even greater cacao farm and so much more! Jeremy was energetic talking about its potential and I can’t wait to see how it evolves.
Melissa in the gift shop was wonderful too. She was very sweet and fun to hang out with. They have guidelines to keep guests safe from Covid so we felt comfortable knowing we were safe. We ate the most delicious chocolate on the way home and we look forward to a return visit.
Written 25 February 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.
DC Ryan
21 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
Jess is charismatic, informative, and helpful! The tour and the chocolate were amazing, and we can't wait to return.
We heard about Lavaloha while searching for a kid-friendly chocolate farm tour. After striking out, one of the other farms recommended this one, and we are so grateful they did. Jess was fun with our 4 and 7 year old children and involved them every step of the way. We toured some of the grounds, tried raw cacao, saw some of the processes, and tried some amazing samples. We were all blown away by the quality of the chocolate (and we live near Ghirardelli) and appreciated the effort Lavaloha has made to be truly eco-friendly, proficient, and tasty. Their mix of different cacao fruits is delicious!
We ran into several islanders during the rest of our stay and couldn't stop recommending it to all! Will be back.
We heard about Lavaloha while searching for a kid-friendly chocolate farm tour. After striking out, one of the other farms recommended this one, and we are so grateful they did. Jess was fun with our 4 and 7 year old children and involved them every step of the way. We toured some of the grounds, tried raw cacao, saw some of the processes, and tried some amazing samples. We were all blown away by the quality of the chocolate (and we live near Ghirardelli) and appreciated the effort Lavaloha has made to be truly eco-friendly, proficient, and tasty. Their mix of different cacao fruits is delicious!
We ran into several islanders during the rest of our stay and couldn't stop recommending it to all! Will be back.
Written 27 February 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.
Thank you so much for leaving such a kind review of our Tree-to-Chocolate Tour with Jess!
Written 19 April 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jan F
2 contributions
Mar 2022
Excellent tour with a great knowledgeable tour guide who also works on the cacao farm. The view of Hilo was absolutely amazing and learning all about the cacao production of this hillside farm was outstanding. Our guide was able to answer every question we asked and made this a fun, entertaining, tasty tour. We utilized the extended "golf cart" versus walking and didn't miss anything. In the kitchen the chefs were developing original organic chocolate recipes and we got to do a tasting. We saw the drying rooms, production stations and orchards. Cute gift shop offering all their products and many more Hawaiian items, including coffee, spices, candles, etc. This farm is all organic and they pride themselves on a zero waste and all their chocolate items are produced without fillers and words you can't even say! A great, informative, fun tour!
Written 22 March 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.
County-Hunter
Tacoma, WA3,751 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
...you might not get a tour. We showed up around 2pm on a Saturday and all the tours for the rest of the day were filled up. So we hung around the gift shop. Prices were quite steep and since we didn't sample the chocolate, we didn't purchase any.
Written 21 August 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.
Aloha, we're sorry you weren't able to go on one of our tours! We appreciate your feedback and the time you took out of your vacation to come visit our store. We do offer free samples of our chocolate at the gift shop. We appreciate your feedback and if you'd like to offer more please email us at enjoy@lavaloha.com and once again mahalo piha for your time and review!
Written 22 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Noelle B
Seattle, WA16 contributions
Jul 2022
This was a great tour. The farm is up high on the volcano hill overlooking Hilo, and the shaded bus was a welcome way to cover lots of ground and see a lot of the farm. I chose this tour because it was not too long - an hour was just perfect. That hour included a visit to the cacao trees, a taste of fresh cacao (surprisingly good!), the bean drying area, a tasting room in their roasting facility, and a lovely drive around the grounds. Our guide was friendly, informative, and fun, and the chocolate was delicious. The gift shop was well-stocked and pretty, with an amazing view. I appreciated that they were ready for any weather - the bus came stocked with towels and umbrellas just in case!
Written 28 July 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.
Bradley
19 contributions
May 2021
After just seconds of meeting our guide, Jeremy, we knew we were with someone who was a true lover of the land. Indeed, he was born and raised in Hilo and now is now raising his own family here. That love was evident throughout our tour and added that personal touch that made our experience at Lavaloha totally enjoyable and wanting to learn as much as we could. Thanks, Jeremy! It was wonderful being with you.
Jeremy is a wealth of information about organic cocoa farming...from its origins to its current location in Hilo...from its chemical compositions to its delicious end products.
Lavaloha is a definite must-see on your visit to Hawaii.
Jeremy is a wealth of information about organic cocoa farming...from its origins to its current location in Hilo...from its chemical compositions to its delicious end products.
Lavaloha is a definite must-see on your visit to Hawaii.
Written 31 May 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.
4boyzmom
Eureka, MT117 contributions
Mar 2020
We spend our last morning on the Island of Hawaii getting a chocolate education and it was well worth the time. Our tour guide was bubbly and fun and very knowledgeable about the entire process from seed to tummy! It was fun to be able to taste the cocoa from start to finish. Would recommend for those looking for something else to do besides soaking up the sun. Great for families! The only drawback was that it was kind of pricey.
Written 6 May 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.
Karen S
43 contributions
Nov 2022
What a great tour! We learned so much about the farming of Cacao, even tasting the beans from the pod. The little buses they drive you around in kept us protected from the pouring rain while allowing us to see everything.
The special tasting while they explained the processing of these beans into the wonderful chocolate, was wonderful! We bought some chocolate to enjoy over the next few days - it didn't last long.
The special tasting while they explained the processing of these beans into the wonderful chocolate, was wonderful! We bought some chocolate to enjoy over the next few days - it didn't last long.
Written 7 November 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.
Mary N
San Diego, CA7 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
We went on a private tour (tree to chocolate) for my son’s 6th birthday. Our guide, Kawika, was friendly and knowledgeable, really made it feel like a special day. The farm is stunningly beautiful everywhere you look, you’ll learn a lot and taste chocolate at various stages. Impressive and highly recommended for locals and tourists alike. We just moved here, so we’ll be back ourselves and bring all out of town guests to this magical place.
Written 27 December 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.
Elexis L
7 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Best tour we've been on so far! Lots of new knowledge and ended in chocolate tasting! Loved this tour. Highly recommended!
Tour is on nice carts that fit at least 10-12 people. The carts have umbrellas, towels and pull down shades to accommodate the changing Hilo weather. Those that have trouble walking can take this tour. Catelynn was great as our guide, she shared so much about the farm and really engaged all ages. Highly recommend this activity while visiting Hilo!
Tour is on nice carts that fit at least 10-12 people. The carts have umbrellas, towels and pull down shades to accommodate the changing Hilo weather. Those that have trouble walking can take this tour. Catelynn was great as our guide, she shared so much about the farm and really engaged all ages. Highly recommend this activity while visiting Hilo!
Written 23 June 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.
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