Lahaina Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate Factory Experience

Gunnar - the owner AND tour provider was excellent. I learned everything I never knew about chocolate - how it is grown, how it is harvested, how it is fermented, how it is extracted, how it is mixed with other ingredients, how it is tempered and how it is packaged. It was a great tour from start to finish. After the comprehensive tour (where all questions were answered in detail by someone who really knows the process and business) we did a chocolate tasting which was a lot of fun. Overall a great several hours and something I will always remember. I appreciated the knowledge and passion.

A fascinating tour. Lead by the owner, we got an in depth look at making chocolate. Always thought the dark chocolate was naturally bitter. Turns out that it’s poor fermentation that is the cause. Great tour, highly recommend..

Good experience. Lots of great information. The tour guide (the CEO) is very passionate about his work, and his chocolate.

This was a great experience! Led by the founder and owner you will not only learn a lot but taste some delicious chocolate from one of the best producers in the world! The suger-free chocolate was a surprising twist but definitely worth the experience just for it!

It was a great place to visit and very informative. The group wasn't so big that we couldn't hear, and the guide wore a mic which was great. The staff was great and we had a good time.

Amazing experience learning about the Maui chocolate factory. Knowledgeable Tour given by the founder and owner of Maui Chocolate. Also please spend time In Lahaina to help their community after the devastating fire. Still a noticeable Impact! Must do tour!

The CEO is very knowledgeable and passionate about chocolate. Very informative and more chocolate to taste than we imagined.

Best introduction to chocolate processing with explanations on what drives differences in the chocolate experience. Followed by a great tasting.

The CEO was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the whole factory and process. The chocolate tasting was amazing and everything tasted great!

A really good tour. Learned so much! And the chocolate is fabulous!

Was quite amazed to see all of the effort that goes into making the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted . The sugar free chocolate is simply the best !

We really enjoyed the tour. The owner conducted the tour himself. He was clearly very passionate about his craft and knew it very well. Lots of opportunities to sample the chocolate also. Would definitely suggest it. Parking is very convenient also if you have a rental.

Wow! I learned a lot about Chocolate! You get to meet the owner and visionary. Sustainability! Off the grid and paying living wages. Then there is the world class chocolate! Wow. Smooth and flavor filled. Get the orange mango guava and prepare for a taste explosion. The peppermint is potent as well! Do some research and bring your chocolate questions. We did both the Farm Tour and the Factory Tour. Both unique experiences!

did the tour and highly recommend. the guide was the owner / ceo and very informative and detailed about the process . showing us the set up and sets it takes to make chocolate and explaining the differences. they even gave us $25 dollar gift card after the tour to use to buy something . omg and mange dark milk flavors were the best flavors we tried

The owner Mr Gunner Gave the tour of the factory very personable and full of information. He shows you everything and explains why. They have a rooftop lounge with a great view leave time to have a glass of wine. Part of the tour is a chocolate tasting you get nine pieces very high quality.

Great tour , very interesting, loved the details of what it takes to make this world class top chocolate - CEO scientist was the tour guide- very passionate - in retrospect now I wish I would’ve also booked the farm tour to see both . Delicious delicious chocolate

We just took the tour of the Ku’ia chocolate farm and factory. It is definitely worth doing!! It included chocolate tastings, a farm walk with education, and a great lunch in the tree house. Our tour guide Steph was so helpful and fun. She walked us through the whole history, the growing process, as well as what goes on in the factory. We met fantastic people in our group with a lot of aloha spirit. Afterwards we were given a 20% off coupon and indulged in more chocolate. The owner of the factory is very caring of Maui and uses proceeds to help Lahaina. It’s honestly a win-win and it’s worth the cost of the tour. You’ll leave with a full belly and a huge smile!!!

We loved it. The owner himself was the tour guide. Very interesting to see the curtain pulled back on the whole process. I really enjoyed trying all the samples. My favorites were the peppermint chocolate and lemongrass chocolate 🍫

It was informative and fun. An amazing experience to be in a tour with the owner. He was both knowledgeable and friendly.

It was quite interesting to learn all about the chocolate making process. We got to taste many flavors of chocolate at the end of the tour. A chocolate flight, you might call it. The owner, Gunars, sure knows his stuff. Very cool experience.

This was honestly the most inspiring tour I have ever been on. What this company does- from running on solar panels to paying unskilled workers a living wage of $30 an hour. They ethically grow, source and make their chocolate! Even buying a second machine for milk and dark chocolate so dark is truly dairy free! Buy this chocolate, go to the Sunday tour. Visit the Island, learn, and contribute to something good!!! This is a must do place!!

The tour ends with a tasting in a lovely setting on the rooftop. I would have wanted to spend more time there but we had only allowed for an hour and a half. Our guide was very interesting and our group asked so many questions that our tour ran over.

We had a great experience seeing the entire process of the manufacturing of chocolate from the cacao beans to the shelling to the roasting and creating the coco nibs and then the powder and finally turning it into chocolate. The owner even showed us the flavoring process and packaging the chocolate. It was an excellent experience.

Although we did not take the chocolate tour we did choose to sample their chocolates along with the wine pairings that they offered. This experience was offered upstairs with a beautiful view of the ocean and surrounding Lahaina. While the chocolate and the wines were excellent, we were most impressed by the attentiveness and personableness of the host Kerry who made recommendations regarding the chocolates and the pairings - and also provided insight not only into the chocolate factory but also to the Lahaina Recovery. Close to the Kaanapali resorts area, it offers a nice change from the sun and beach!

Our guy was so knowledgeable about chocolate. Very high quality stuff. Large selection Even a sugar free guy like me can find lots of great flavors.

Today we went to the chocolate estate farm tour. It was amazing!. Our tor guide was Nicole, a sweet girl from Ireland. She was kind, thoughtful and extremely knowledgable. We were never rushed and took time for questions. The tour was great. We got to go to the farm and see the cocoa plants and learn about the fermentation process. We then went to a treehouse with beautiful views and tasted 9 different chocolates. It was a wonderful day!

Awesome tour and place! Employees and owner so very nice. Awesome rooftop deck. Did pairings and they were informative

It was very interesting and educational about the Chocolate making process. You learn what great Chocolate is. It was fun to see how it was made and packaged, and then the tasting event event was super fun also! Even our grandkids, mostly teenagers, enjoyed the tour.

This was a fun change of pace on our Maui vacation. The owner gave us a thorough tour of the factory and his knowledge and passion shine through. We learned a lot. Afterwards, we did a tasting with like ten different chocolates. It was delicious! And we got gift cards for chocolate to bring home, which was a welcome surprise! It was a fun way to spend some time in between swimming.

We did both the factory tour and the farm tour. Other than eating too much chocolate, we had a fantastic day. Gunnar was a delightful tour guide (he owns the place!) who spent a good amount of time with us explaining the process and answering questions. The story of the company is absolutely beautiful and the fact that it is there bringing joy to the island and delicious chocolate to all of us is profound. We have been serving this chocolate to dinner guests for a couple of years and decided to see just how the magic happens!

The factory tour was very interesting and informative. The chocolate was amazing.

This was absolutely amazing! The people are the best and the experience was perfect for our large group! Everyone was well accommodated for and I would highly recommend for groups of all ages.

An absolute must-do in Maui! This was so much more than just a chocolate tasting, was an incredible journey from tree to bar. Walking through the lush orchard and cracking open a fresh cacao pod to taste the raw pulp was an unforgettable experience. Our guide Nichole was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about sustainable farming. The chocolate tasting at the end was the perfect finish, allowing us to sample so many amazing, locally-made varieties. Highly recommend this to any foodies or nature lovers!

Dr. Valkirs leading the tour personally makes the experience special —he's deeply passionate about every aspect of the craft. I now understand the difference between mass-produced chocolate versus Ku'ia Estate chocolate. The difference is huge. Dr. Valkirs’ company controls the complete process – from the planting of the trees to the processing of the final product. Commercial chocolate is heavily processed, loaded with additives, and often uses lower-quality beans blended from many sources. What Ku'ia does is fundamentally different — a true bean-to-bar operation where they control every step from growing the cacao on their West Maui farm to the finished product. Varieties include: Maui Dark Chocolate beans, cocoa butter, and sugar, Maui Dark Milk Chocolate, Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate without artificial sweeteners and Flavor-Infused Chocolate like Maui Mango. The tour ends with a tasting where you choose your own samples. A great personal touch. And on that happy note, I am ready to place my online order!

About 1.5 hrs touring the factory and hearing all about the process from the owner/CEO which was suprisingly interesting. He's basically the Willy Wonka of Maui! Last 30min was tasting 8 pieces - 4 of your choice, 4 of their choice. Plus we got a sample of a chocolate sorbet they are testing on the menu. And they gave everyone a $25 gift card to use in their shop - no conditions of purchase. We used our cards and spent only $2 of our own money. Best for couples or families with teens or older. Still wishing I bought a chocolate milkshake at the snack bar.

Chocolate is my favor food group so I was excited to learn about how it's grown and see the cacao trees. This trip didn't disappoint. The guide was wonderful and very informative. Did you know chocolate in the USA only has to have 10% cacao to be considered "chocolate"? I didn't, until this trip. They provided bug spray (a MUST if mosquitos are drawn to you). I was appreciative of that. But, let's be honest, the very BEST part was getting to try lots of different chocolates at the end of the tour. AMAZING!! I was happy to get a discount coupon at the conclusion of the tour to spend in their store. I will also be purchasing from them online in the future.

Great tour very informative. CEO answered all our questions during tour. Chocolate tasting at end of tour was nice experience.

Gunner, our guide was extremely knowledgeable. We learned so much about the right way to make coffee and enjoyed seeing the whole process. Of course the tasting at the end was great.

Totally awesome experience. Narrated in person & from the heart by Dr. Gunars Valkirs, CEO & founder.

Incredible information and amazing chocolate. The founder gives the tour personally and had so much knowledge. We've been on chocolate tours in several countries and the Maui beans are unique and ridiculously good.

This was a great behind the scenes chocolate making experience! Lead my the owner of the company, who was incredibly knowledgeable obviously, and the chocolate tasted great! Highly recommend!

Great to meet the man Gunars who started this world-wide/ Pacific region, award winning (x 2) cocoa grove! He even gives the factory tour personally & does a wonderful job describing in detail, each step in the farm to factory creation of healthy chocolate. Now these sweet treats, truly not bitter, are available in natural, sugar free vegan as well! Personally, I think it’s important to note, he donates proceeds from his tours to local charities like humane society and families as they try to rebuild after the devastating fires that almost completely destroyed Lāhainā, where the tour is.

Personal detailed tour of the chocolate factory by the owner. Far exceeded our expectations! You can tell the owner (Gunnars) is passionate about what he does. Choc. The

The chocolate factory tour was awesome! It was led by the CEO who is super knowledgeable on the operation. We really enjoyed it! Plus the chocolate was delicious!

I make a point of doing chocolate tours whenever I travel, if I can find one! The Lahaina Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate Factory Experience was by far the best I have encountered, beats San Francisco, Chicago, Freeport, Maine. This was the most educational, including Q and As about business models, history, economy, environment. Fascinating company origin, and founder, and the closest you can possibly get to the factory machinery. Great for adults due to length of factory tour, and depth of conversation. Kids would like the actual factory, but the content was so impressive. Go early, there is an upper deck/patio which serves alcohol/chocolate pairings, as well as non alcoholic beverages including delicious milkshakes and some savory food options. The upper deck has a beautiful view. After the informative tour, there is a chocolate tasting on the upper deck/patio, where you taste 8 pieces of premium chocolate, 4 standard, and 4 of your choice. Also a video to watch reiterating what you heard about the origin of chocolate and the harvesting. The cost includes a $25 gift certificate to buy product. You know you will buy some on the way out anyway, so this is built into the cost. Brilliant marketing strategy, IMO! You can also walk from the Lahaina Cannery if you do not have a car but can bus from your hotel or from Whaler's Village Shopping Center to the Cannery. Local bus is $2 each way. Company owner, Gunder, gave the tour!! Be on the lookout for SUGAR FREE premium chocolate offering as well as the OMG chocolate, (orange, mango, guava) and it is really OMG!!! Highly recommend!!!

The owner gave us a super informative tour. And the chocolates were to die for. Excellent tour overall!

My husband and I enjoyed the Ku'ia Estate farm tour so much, we decided to take the factory tour as well. It was lead by the owner/founder of Ku'ia Estate Chocolate and he was fascinating to listen to. He explained how he got started in the chocolate business as well as showing us each step in the process of making chocolate squares. You will be in the factory and get to see what they are working on that day. We found it fascinating. After the tour we were able to sample many of the chocolates made there. The owner has chosen to donate all the profits Ku'ia makes to non-profit organizations helping people on Maui. The chocolate was delicious on its own, but this gave me another reason to buy more in the retail shop. I would highly recommend going on this tour is you are a chocoholic like me!

Took the tour on 3/22 and it was excellent!! I learned so much about chocolate and how REALLY GOOD chocolate is made. Did you know cacao is fermented to make chocolate? Neither did I. Maui Chocolate is world class and they have the hardware to prove it! Highly recommend the tour experience, you will not be disappointed!

Interesting and fun! Great information and tasty chocolate samples. Definitely enjoyed this during a rainy day!