Brandon & Klara & The Maui Chocolate Factory

got one ahead…” Brandon whispered to me during our curated chocolate tasting at Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate, the island’s brand new chocolate factory. And friend, if we had to sum up our experience in one phrase, that would probably be the most accurate. Why? Because this Made on Maui chocolate is THAT good! Yeah, let that melt in for a moment…

Anyway, here are all of the sweet details so you can check it out for yourself!

THE MAUI KUIA ESTATE CHOCOLATE STORY

While Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate factory & retail shop are conveniently located right off of the Lahaina Bypass on the west side of the island, the story did not begin there. As CEO & founder, Dr. Gunars Valkirs explained during our tasting, he first had an idea to grow cacao at his Kapalua home years ago. But due to the area’s rainier climate, he was unsuccessful at this first attempt. Some may have moved on. We’re thankful Gunars, a retired biotech entrepreneur, didn’t. Instead, he decided to find land in Lahaina where cacao would not just grow, but flourish. And so, in 2013, work officially began on Maui Kuia Estate’s more than 20 acre cacao farm, which is now home to approximately 8,000 cacao trees.

Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate’s history is remarkable. Let’s just say it even involves a rabbi… But it’s way more fun to hear Gunars tell it so let’s fast forward to 2020. Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate not only operates its farm where it produces cacao for its premium grown on Maui chocolate; but it also sources cacao from Ecuador and Brazil, which it makes into chocolate here on Maui. At the beginning of the year, Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate also opened its highly anticipated chocolate factory, the largest in the state of Hawaii, and retail shop.

CHOCOLATE KULEANA

As if all of this wasn’t cool enough, here’s the sweetest part – Maui Kuia Estate’s mission is to give back! The company so beautifully explains on its website that in the Hawaiian language, kuleana means “accepting responsibility with understanding and intent.” Maui Kuia Estate shares that their kuleana is to support Maui’s nonprofit community through generously donating 100% of net profits to Maui nonprofits! A list of participating organizations are included on their website.

THE TASTING EXPERIENCE

Now, by this point, you may be thinking “the best part of chocolate is eating it” and you wouldn’t be wrong! Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate, in partnership with Maui Chocolate Tour, offers curated chocolate tastings on the second floor of its factory in a beautiful, open air pavilion. Enjoy a 45 minute, 9 piece chocolate tasting and learn about how cacao is grown and chocolate is made. As Brandon put it, “I could actually taste what he was talking about.” The act of crunching up the chocolate and letting it melt in your mouth so you could experience different essences like Maui’s apple banana was not only delicious, but really fun. Our favorite piece of chocolate that we tried? Hmm. Well, it was really hard to pick one but we are huge fans of the Mango, Lemongrass and Blood Orange flavors and we tended to favor the dark milk vs. dark. I guess we’ll just have to keep tasting until we can really nail down a clear fave. 😉

Does the idea of enjoying a glass of red wine while tasting chocolate sound even more relaxing to you? You can B.Y.O.B.! Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors is located right nearby so pick up a bottle before checking-in.

THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate also offers a retail store at its factory. The shop features a wide variety of options that are both great for gifts and snacking. You can also order online (which, hint, is a great place to find recipes to use the chocolate).

WHAT’S NEXT

Brandon and I were really excited to learn that Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate will be offering tours of its cacao farm through Maui Chocolate Tours soon. We hear there’s even a tree house and that you’ll be able to try the cacao fruit, in addition to the delicious chocolate. The retail location may also be offering hot chocolate soon, too! Make sure to follow @mauichocolate on Instagram for the most up-to-date information.

Ready for the next serving of sweet?! Learn about some of Kihei’s Best Desserts here.