Manoa – Kahalu’u, O’ahu Island Bar

“In Hawaiian, the word Kahaluʻu means “diving place” or “dripping trough”. It’s a fitting name for this small town on the East Side of Oʻahu Island (just 20 minutes from our Chocolate Factory). The steep Koʻolau mountain range cradles the shallow waters of Kāneʻohe bay, making for excellent year-round diving, fishing, and farming. Back in lush Kahaluʻu Valley, farmer, Ben Field is taking advantage of these idyllic growing conditions.

Born and raised in Kahaluʻu, Ben is following in the footsteps of three generations of plant cultivation. While offering fermentation and drying services for small cacao growers (Mānoa Chocolate included) across the Island, Ben has been working on his own crop as well. On his family land he has planted approximately 800 cacao trees. As of this year the trees are now able to produce enough fruit for a new single origin Kahaluʻu chocolate bar. 

Ben and his family’s estate is not only a beautiful cacao farm, but an oasis of endemic plant life and other food crops. The family also grows banana, turmeric, taro, breadfruit, ginger, sapote, grapefruit, and a vast endemic plant nursery. Many of these crops are interspersed among the cacao, creating a thriving agroforestry system.”