Maui Chocolate Tour adds new cacao farm experience with treehouse lunch

Maui Kuʻia Estates has launched a new Cacao Farm Tour and Treehouse Lunch, offering guests a farm-to-bar chocolate experience with sweeping views of the West Maui Mountains.

The two-hour tour begins at the Maui Ku‘ia Estates Chocolate Factory in Lahaina, where participants board an air-conditioned bus to the company’s private 20-acre cacao farm.

Strolling beneath the cool canopies of the estate, guests will learn step-by-step how tree-borne pods become exquisite chocolate. Along the way, they can see pods up close, sample fresh pulp and take in the backdrop of the emerald West Maui Mountains.

After the tour, guests ascend to the farm’s open-air treehouse veranda to enjoy a nine-piece tasting of Maui Ku‘ia Estates’ award-winning chocolate, paired with a catered lunch from Sale Pepe Pizzeria e Cucina.

“As we were thinking about enhancing our cacao farm tour experiences — even with a nine-piece chocolate tasting already included — the idea arrived, ‘What about hosting lunch in our estate treehouse, too?’” said Mary Britton, chief operating officer of Hawai‘i Farm Project, which conducts the estate’s farm tours. “And just like that, our Cacao Farm Tour and Treehouse Lunch was born. With this added experience, guests will now have more time to take in the breathtaking views and enjoy a delicious lunch from Maui’s renowned Sale Pepe Pizzeria e Cucina.”

The Cacao Farm Tour and Treehouse Lunch is available by reservation. Tour prices are $135 for guests ages 13 and older and $115 for guests ages three to 12. Children must be at least three years old to participate. Tours are limited to 12 participants and meet at the Maui Ku‘ia Estates Chocolate Factory at 78 Ulupono Street in Lahaina.

To book the tour and lunch, visit www.mauichocolatetour.com or call 808-793-6651.