Manoa Chocolate is a quintessential chocolate producer in Hawaii. Die-hard chocolate enthusiasts and many visitors to our Waipouli Beach resort rentals often have Manoa Chocolate on their shopping list, but it was not always this way.
The chocolate has turned from a largely unknown Hawaiian local secret to being widely recognized for people “in-the-know.” In other words, the cat is out of the bag. But Manoa still has enough mystery around it to give it that edge.
What gave Manoa Chocolate their authority and made visiting their factory one of the top things to do when vacationing here? Manoa Chocolate is now a premier Hawaiian attraction, but this status was earned in a very short period of time.
Debuted In 2010
In 2010 this bean-to-bar chocolate factory debuted in the small city of Kailua on the island of Oahu and quickly became known for their commitment to locally sourced beans, along with sourcing them from other premium worldwide destinations.
The early founders decided to start a chocolate kitchen from scratch, while also incorporating aspects of Hawaiian culture into their company’s overall vision and sustainability. The result was a chocolate bar that is both refreshingly new, healthy and rich in the local tradition of excellence.
Word spread quite rapidly as a result of their commitment to quality. Today, Manoa Chocolate continues to do one thing extraordinarily and stunningly well and that is the creation of a remarkable dark chocolate bar.
The Manoa Claim in the Name
Hoʻo.mā.noa specifically means “to thicken,” which translates to a very literal interpretation of what Manoa Chocolate does with their product, starting with loose cacao beans that are transformed into thickened chocolate.
But, the word also loosely translates into a few similar terms that highlight the larger goals of the small business. The name Mānoa also means “solid”, “vast”, and “depth” – strong ideals of what the team strives for.
Plan Your Visit
From the richness of its creation from local beans, to the direct health qualities of responsibly-made dark chocolate, Manoa Chocolate is worth the brief detour while staying at our exclusive Waipouli Beach resort rentals.
Bean-to-Bar Practices
Manoa Chocolate is renowned for their “bean-to-bar” practices. The basic concept is straightforward. The team sources cacao beans locally whenever possible, and uses them for their own in-house chocolate production.
This removes extra hands in the chocolate bar, if you will, and cuts out the intermediary aspects which can lower product quality.
Hawaiian farmers from Waiahole, Maunawili and Haiku, supply the beans directly when possible, so Manoa is one of their biggest supporters. The team then commits to the entire supply chain all on their own.
The end product at Manoa Chocolate is superior to many big-chain chocolate suppliers. Their process is meticulous and solely focused on producing the best chocolate bar possible.
People want something that is authentic, well-made and not filtered through a big corporation, and that’s what you get with every Manoa Chocolate bar. Today you can visit the store in Kailua to try their delectable chocolate and tour their factory, or you can purchase it online.
The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
If the perfection of Manoa’s chocolate bars and production process wasn’t enough to tempt you right away, also consider the many health benefits of dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate consumption has been linked to lower levels of inflammation and lower blood pressure. It is proven to restore and stabilize moods through the release of endorphins and serotonin. It has been linked to higher cognitive function along with other flavonoid rich foods.
It is also a major source of antioxidants including flavanols, catechins, polyphenols and other compounds which lower the impact of free radicals on the body and may help to prevent certain forms of cancer.
Note that it’s important to buy responsibly-crafted dark chocolate to get the maximum benefits, as quality certainly matters. The higher the cacao percentage, the healthier it is.
Finding Manoa Chocolate
You can visit the Manoa Chocolate factory at 315 Uluniu St, Suite 203, Kailua, Oahu, HI. Book a low cost tour of the chocolate-making process and factory ahead of time to enhance your experience, and samples of the different flavors are available.
Manoa Chocolate has quickly established a reputation for being one of the top chocolate producers in the nation.
