We read about sustainable tourism everywhere today. There is a push to encourage travelers to reduce their carbon footprints, control emissions and protect the planet. There is, however, another aspect to sustainable tourism. Helping the local communities that you visit. Visiting local producers or buying locally made products not only helps the planet, but it also helps the local economy. Supporting small businesses enhances that specific community’s resilience. In my case, I chose to practice sustainable tourism by supporting a very delicious product. Win-Win!
Scientifically, it is true that chocolate releases endorphins in your brain that make you happy. Though this is already an established fact, I was happy to conduct additional experiments to verify the truth of this claim. There is no need for other experiments, of course, but nobody was asking you anyway. If I want to lean back on my couch with a sigh, take a bite of a good quality chocolate, and admire its perfection then that’s what I’m going to do. It is quite possible that the only thing that can make you appreciate the perfection of this treat even more is learning about the labor-intensive process of bringing chocolate to your table.
“Everywhere in the world there are tensions –
Alain Ducasse
economic, political, religious. So, we need chocolate.”
My husband and I recently toured Lavaloa Chocolate Farm, which is 15 minutes outside of Hilo, Hawaii. The first thing that visitors to the big island who want to do this should know is that the tour sizes are very small, so you must book online in advance. We bought our tickets about four days in advance.
The farm uses small electric trams to transport groups of about 10-12 people around the property. The use of electric trams is more evidence of sustainable tourism. The trams also make the tours wonderfully accessible for those with mobility issues and for families with small children. In total, the farm is 1,000 acres, but only 24 acres are used to grow chocolate (10,000 trees). Another 11 acres are used to grow coffee. The owners also grow numerous fruits here and much of the land is rented out to other farmers as well.
Upon hearing that the property is 1,000 acres, it may not sound like a small business, but it is. The most significant thing I learned is just how much effort and time the 11 employees put into every harvest. Fostering cultural and economic longevity in the community where I currently live feels good, whether I was thinking about sustainable tourism when I booked the tour or not. Our guide, Izzy, showed us pods from the three different types of cacao that are grown here. The most unique is Criollo, which accounts for 1% of the world’s chocolate. It is rare and any chocolate produced from this type of pod is expensive.
Izzy was full of fascinating facts, for example, cacao trees live 50-60 years. They have flowers that are so teeny that all of the pollination is done by gnats and flies, not bees. How quirky is that? Izzy said to see if a pod is ripe for picking off a tree, lightly scratch the surface. You should see yellow scratch marks appear. This test is the same for every variety of cacao in the world. Those scratches will also heal up in four hours! Amazing, right?
If you’ve never seen the interior of a cacao pod, it’s not appetizing at all. It looks like an alien brain. Inside the slimy, white coating is each deep purple bean. You can eat them raw, which we did. They turn bitter quickly, though, so make sure you chew and swallow fast. One raw bean has the same antioxidants as nearly 40 blueberries. So many fun science facts!
On the farm, they harvest the cacao pods every two weeks, although some seasons bring a larger haul of ripe pods than others. The 11-member staff open every pod by hand with a machete, not machines. They spread the beans out on wire drying racks. Many processing plants use huge fans to speed up the drying process, but the Lavaloa Farm staff choose to let nature handle this part. As a result, it takes 6-8 weeks for the beans to dry out properly. Incredibly, while the beans are laid out for drying, the staff checks each one by hand, carefully removing the cracked ones that can’t be roasted. Why can’t they be roasted if they are cracked, you ask? According to Izzy, there are oils that are drawn out during the roasting process that would catch on fire!
Lavaloa is a boutique chocolate producer. Each batch is labor-intensive and crafted by hand by a small team that loves what they do. In the end, it takes approximately three and a half to four months to harvest the cacao pods and develop them into edible chocolate. Most of this time is the drying and fermentation portion of the process.
“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain.”
Dave Barry
We were, thankfully, given seven different samples of Lavaloa’s products, including liquid chocolate, dark, milk, white, and several with added ingredients like sea salt or orange. Naturally, everyone will have their favorite, but all of it was delicious. One way to support sustainable tourism is to take a tour of the farm. A second way to support the sustainable tourism initiative is to, of course, purchase chocolate, coffee, and other locally made products at the farm’s onsite store.
Finally, if you appreciate handmade, homemade food that’s to die for, don’t miss a visit to DiPrato’s Deli next time you’re in (or near) Columbia, South Carolina. You haven’t had pita chips and pimento cheese dip until you’ve eaten their homemade versions of both.
September 21, 2025 at 12:48 pm
Another interesting fact? Their coffee was rated as good as Kona’s!
Lavaloha was a wonderful outing. Though it may be a little pricey ($40+ per person), it is a must do activity while on the Big Island or while visiting Hilo. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. It was also fun to see their mascot, Louie.