HILO SHARK'S
100% HAWAIIAN
Chocolate Coffee Vanilla
Specialty Tours &
Farm Stays
AGRI-TOURISM FROM THE SOURCE
TOUR SHARK'S WORKING COFFEE, CACAO AND VANILLA
FARM ON THE BIG ISLAND'S SCENIC HAMAKUA COAST
JUST 10 MINUTES NORTH OF HILO
COFFEE, CACAO, VANILLA...
HOW DO THEY GROW?
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A born story-teller, Farmer Tom will take you on a walk through his orchard where you’ll discover how coffee grows and see vanilla vines growing right up the trunks of cacao trees (Vanilla hand-pollination February/March). You'll learn about the "Three Ps" (Propagation, Pollination and Pests) and the challenges of growing crops in a tropical setting. Next, we tour the greenhouse where you're likely to find coffee and cacao seedlings just beginning their journey, growing alongside large screens filled with freshly harvested coffee beans and fermented cacao drying in the sun until they're ready to be roasted and finally transformed into the chocolate we all know and love.
Next stop, Chocolate Kitchen! Where you'll see how we process and roast dry cacao beans into pure, dark Hawaiian chocolate. Finally, you'll get to make your own chocolate to take home to remember your day! Enjoy a delicious refreshments including a dip of locally-made Tropical Dreams sorbet, Shark's famous Taro Frappe,, Chillin' Hibiscus Tea, locally made Shortbread Cookies and more!
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This is a great tour for families and individuals interested in learning more about where some of our favorite foods come from.
Allow about 3 hours for your tour
You are welcome to stay a bit longer and talk story or plan ahead and reserve our simple Cacao Ceremony, a quiet time to sit in nature, reflect on what you've learned and enjoy the nuance of simple pleasures performed with presence, intention and gratitude. (Please reserve in advance)
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