Producer

Tucked into the old sugarcane village of Wailea, on the Hamakua Coast, is our 3-acre home. My sweetie Jeremy and I take care of fruit and spice plants, grown in a food forest style. Looking for a less touristy experience for your guests? Contact us about visiting our place for a garden walk and chocolate tasting.

Although not registered organic, we use better-than-organic methods. Mostly we redistribute the resources of our land to fertilize, along with some organic chicken manure. We never spray, except to control fire ants. Our guiding principle is to leave the ‘āina in our care healthier than we found it.

I process cacao in tiny batches (as described in my book One Cacao Tree). Each step of the long process is lovingly done with attention and care. Our motto is “No bean left behind.” Perhaps you have a few extra organically grown pods? I trade for chocolate.

I obsess over the quality of the ingredients I use in my chocolate. All are local and/or organic. The cacao is all local, from my and my neighbors’ trees. Spices and fruits mostly come from our yard. I love the synergy of combining the flavors that grow together in my chocolate confections. I purchase organic coconut sugar from a regenerative farm, while searching for a local source. (I collected palm nectar to make my own for a couple of months and would like to again.) The cocoa butter I use to temper is either local or organic and ethically sourced from Ecuador.

I believe that health comes from the land, and flavor does, too. You can taste our mālama and aloha in my chocolates.