The Big Island Chocolate Festival gala is from 5pm – 9pm on Saturday, April 29th (mmmm….chocolate….) but did you know that the festival is actually a two-day event?
On Friday, April 28th you can enjoy a unique walking tour on the slopes of scenic Hualalai mountain, a few miles south of Kona town. The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, which sits on a spacious cacao plantation, was the first to grow, hand-pick, sun-dry and process only 100% Hawaiian grown cocoa beans, non-blended to assure purity and quality.
Also on Friday, April 28th, we’re offering three Cacao Farming seminars from 11am – 2:30pm. For $40 you can learn:
- 11 a.m.-noon: “Cacao Survey Results” and an update on the “CTAHR’s Cacao Variety Development Project,” presented by Dr. H.C. Skip Bittenbender of UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
- 12:15 p.m.- 1:15 p.m.: “Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Production” presented by author Paul Picton and president /co-owner of Maverick Chocolate.
- 1:30-2:30 p.m.: “The Art and Craft of Cacao Fermentation” presented by Dr. Nat Bletter of O‘ahu’s Madre Chocolate.
Tickets for all three seminars are $40 in advance. Or you can pay $30 per seminar at the door.
Saturday, April 29th is another tasty day, where chocolate enthusiasts can learn from the masters!
- 9:30-11 a.m. Demonstration with Tasting: “Small Chocolate Bites,” presented by Donald Wressell,executive pastry chef at Guittard Chocolate Company.
- 11:15-12:45 p.m. Demonstration: “Chocolate Crystallization & Tempering” presented by Alicia Boada, West Coast Technical Advisor for Barry Callebaut Chocolate.
- 1-2:30 p.m. Demonstration: “Creating an Artistic Chocolate Showpiece” by Stéphane Tréand MOF.
Want to see all three chocolate demos AND go to the gala? Then you’ll want the “I LOVE Chocolate” All Day Pass. Or you can purchase all three demos for $75 in advance ($35 per demo otherwise).
All ticket information can be found here. SPACE IS LIMITED FOR THE TOUR, SEMINARS AND CHOCOLATE DEMOS.
Learn more about each seminar and demo by visiting our “Seminar” page.