Only in Hawaii: Growing Coffee and Cacao

Outpost Coffee

Outpost Coffee Kauaʻi knows it's all about relationships. Ben Fitt purchased an abandoned coffee orchard of 400 plants in Kilauea in 2018 and promptly rejected the traditional, colonial system where coffee producers remain impoverished. He sought to bring forth world-class coffee from a value chain where everything and everyone is thriving. Because a sustainable relationship between bean and human being affects not only the soil but also the livelihoods of those who till it, the quality of the product, and applied to other coffee producers around the world, the health of the planet. Each batch is thoughtfully roasted, highlighting the palate of the land of which it was cultivated, harvested, fermented, roasted, brewed, and served or distributed: Hawaiʻi. There is passion in this product and a great deal of integrity. Outpost Coffee also has the ability to foster relationships by creating a communal experience, a gathering of people and hot mugs, and not just in the islands, but anywhere its taken in the world. 

Lydgate Farms

Nestled in the crux of Mount Waialeale and Nounou Mountain thrives Lydgate Farms. Amongst the more common fruit and flower trees grows something exceptional: high-quality cacao. Will Lydgate, member of a fifth-generation Kauaʻi family, manages the farm and is playing a role in the rearing of a new industry for the islands: branch-to-bar chocolate. For 150 years, Hawaiʻi was a mass producer of sugarcane and pineapple which took a toll on the health of the soil and those who cultivated it under harsh conditions. Lydgate is working to remedy this by utilizing natural farming techniques, using only organic fertilizer, and producing specialty products in sustainable ways. This is small-scale farming, farming with care. Instead of taking from the land, Lydgate Farms works with the land, known in the islands as malama ʻaina. It is a system designed to make excellent chocolate for people now, while nurturing the land for the people of the future.

Onomea Chocolate is the sister company of Lonohana Chocolate. While cacao for Lonohana’s bars come from founder Seneca Klassen’s own 14 acres on Oʻahu’s north shore, Onomea’s cacao is sourced from excellent partner orchards on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, making it a more accessible and still exceptional Hawaiʻi-grown and crafted chocolate. With full transparency and high standards always in mind, this are some top-shelf candy bars.