Hilo Cacao Orchard Tour - 90 mins

17-4194 Ualani Rd,Kurtistown HI 96760

21 June, 2022

Description

Visit a Hawaiian Cacao (or Cocoa) Orchard just 15 minutes south of Hilo in Kurtistown, Puna District. This is a working orchard with nearly 2,500 cocoa trees among a working farm of Coffee, Macadamia Nuts, Bananas, Citrus.  We will visit the cocoa nursery and cocoa orchard to view how cocoa is grown and where your favorite food, chocolate, comes from! You will handle fresh cocoa pods, open and taste fresh fruit and pulp you can't taste at home. You will then explore how beans are converted to chocolate and then retreat into a sheltered canopy for a small chocolate flight of various dark and milk chocolates from beans grown on Big Island.  You will also view the fermentory and dryers where fresh beans have their bitterness converted to delicous chocolate flavors. Appropriate for all ages.  This is a non-improved trail on grassy and moist terrain - please wear closed-toe shoes for walking up to 400 yards on uneven tropical terrain. COVID19 - we have limited the number of attendees to 12 per tour. The event is entirely outdoors. If you do not feel comfortable with group events, please consider purchasing all available tickets. Please inform us ahead of time if any accessibility requirements are needed. Reservations are required at least 4 hours ahead of time - our cocoa expert prepares only for the amount reserved. Minimum Attendance: Most people reserve the day before but if we have less than 4 signed up when sales close at 9pm the night prior, we may have to cancel or reschedule the tour in order to better focus our limited resources. Refunds are allowed up to 7 days before the event upon request. * tour will proceed in wet weather, we have umbrellas.  **Private tours are extremely limited at this time Legal Agreement - Farm and Rugged Trail - by reserving a ticket, you acknowledge that you are attending an experience on a rugged, slightly improved outdoor location with uneven ground and unpredictable vegetation that may cause injury such as tripping or poking by plant and rock formations. Outdoor weather such as heat or rain may cause conditions that enhance risk and it is up to you to assess and accept or decline attendance on your own volition. You will also be offerred chocolate and various food samples that may contain allergens. It is your responsibility to disclose your allergies and ask for ingredient details when offerred any food if you have any allergies. You and your guests agree to hold Puna Chocolate Company and any farmowner harmless for any injury or illness caused by this experience. By booking this ticket, you agree to share this caution and advisory to all your attendees for whom you are booking. Fire Ants Advisory - while we try to mitigate fire ants and encounters are very rare, some trees in East Hawaii have fire ants. They are harmless to almost the entire population. They can be beneficial to eliminating pests harmful to the trees. However, if you have an allergy to stinging insects, please bring medication (epi-pen) or do not attend this tour. It is solely your responsibility to disclose and avoid any allergens.