Note: There is at least one other company that claims it is making Hawaiian chocolate.The key question -- ask where the beans are grown and what percentage are actually grown in Hawaii. Ono Farms in Hana, Maui that is growing cacao, roasting and making bars but its a very small operation and not selling to the outside to any significant degree as yet..

Little known fact. Hawaii is the only place in the United States with climate befitting the production of cacao beans for chocolate. It's a rough biz, extremely labor intensive, that a number of folks have tried. Meet Bob and Pam Cooper. They moved from North Carolina to the Kona Coast of Hawaii in 1997 to take over a 6 -acre property with breathtaking views and some ramshackle cacao tree orchards. They planned to retire and make chocolate, something they later realized was an oxymoron. Today the Cooper's Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is the only sizeable operation that grows, roasts and manufactures chocolate made from beans grown entirely in the Hawaiian Islands. The dark and milk chocolate bars they create have a rich, deep, rustic flavor that many chocolate connoisseurs love. This rare and pricey single-estate chocolate has become a favorite for pastry chefs at high-end restaurants all around the island.

While the Coopers have 1,200 trees in their orchard, roughly two dozen farmers grow the beans in Hawaii, which is the only state in the U.S. where chocolate can grow. The Coopers do everything themselves. They manually harvest ripe pods that have ripened for 150 days from their trees. The next step involves cleaning out the pods and drying them for three to four weeks to reduce moisture and prepare them for the roaster. They roast six to 10 batches of dried out pods per day for 28 minutes at 265 degrees in a modified small-batch coffee roaster. A machine called a "flinger" separates the chocolate nibs from the shell. Next the Coopers process the chocolate into a thick liquid by melting the nibs and adding in sugar, lecithin (which liquefies chocolate and preserves flavor), powdered Madagascar bourbon vanilla, and milk powder. They hand pour the liquid into molds and then cool the bars in a special room that contains no outside odors and remains at a constant humidity of between 50% to 55% in order to make sure the chocolate does not separate. The quarter pound bars of chocolate cost $10, available in milk and dark varieties. Tours are available for $5 per person. Contact the Coopers at 808-322-2626.

—Alex, 07/25/06