Kakaʻako · Chocolate Factory
Lonohana Chocolate: The Tree-to-Bar Factory Tour and Tastings
Almost no chocolate is made in the place its cacao grows. Lonohana does both on Oahu. It farms cacao on the North Shore and turns it into bars inside a 1930s movie theater in Kakaʻako, about 3 miles from Waikiki. The 90-minute factory tour puts a taste in your hand at every step, and a 30-minute tasting on Lewers Street covers the flavor side if you only have an afternoon.
Hawaii is the only state in the country that grows cacao commercially, and most of what grows here still leaves the islands as beans. Lonohana keeps the whole chain at home. Founder Seneca Klassen started planting cacao on abandoned sugarcane land above Haleʻiwa in 2009 and grew a forest around it, with the cacao shaded by taller hardwoods. The company harvests, ferments, dries, roasts and molds all of it itself, and every bar is made from 100 percent Hawaii-grown cacao.
In June 2026 Lonohana bought the Waialua cacao orchard from Dole: more than 60 acres of mature, producing trees on a 151-acre parcel, and the largest cacao farm in the state. That one orchard holds about a fifth of all the land growing cacao in Hawaii. The two North Shore orchards taste different from each other, and the tastings are built around showing you how.
Why it stands out
A chocolate factory inside a movie theater
The factory fills the old Kewalo Theatre on Queen Street, built in 1937 as an art deco movie house. Chocolate machines more than 100 years old run beside modern equipment on what used to be the theater floor, and the tour ends with a tasting in the building’s 1930s lounge.
Three Ways to Taste Lonohana
Lonohana runs two experiences you book ahead and one tasting bar you walk into. They are close together: the factory and the SALT tasting bar are about a 10-minute walk apart in Kakaʻako, and the Waikiki store is on Lewers Street, a short walk from the beach.
| Experience | Where | Price | Length | Ages | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory Tour & Tasting | 711 Queen St, Kakaʻako | $56 adults, $46 kids | 90 min | 8+ | Wed to Sat, book ahead |
| Waikiki Chocolate Tasting | 226 Lewers St, Waikiki | $15 | 30 min | 5+ | Book a time |
| Tasting Bar @ SALT | 324 Coral St, Kakaʻako | Tasting flights | As long as you like | Not listed | Walk in |
Prices from Lonohana’s booking pages, September 2026. Kids’ pricing on the factory tour covers ages 8 to 12. Kamaʻāina with a Hawaii ID pay $46 for adults and $36 for kids on the factory tour, and $13.50 for the Waikiki tasting.
What the Factory Tour Is Like
The factory tour runs about 90 minutes and is led by a member of Lonohana’s production team. It follows the chocolate from seed to bar in the order it is made, with a taste at every stage, so you eat your way through it.
- The theater lounge. You start in the art deco salon of the old movie theater, which Lonohana finished turning into its factory in 2022. The guide lays out how the company farms and why so few chocolate makers grow their own cacao.
- The farm story. Lonohana turned 20 acres of abandoned sugarcane land into a working forest using regenerative farming. You hear how the cacao is harvested, then fermented and dried in small, ripe batches. When the orchards are in season, you taste raw cacao straight from the pod.
- Suiting up. This is an audited food production room, not a display, so everyone gets a lab coat, hair net, face covering and shoe covers before stepping onto the floor.
- Roasting. The beans roast for 25 to 40 minutes while the chocolate makers taste as they go, keeping the bright, fruity acidity that Hawaii-grown cacao is known for.
- Winnowing. A winnower built in Barcelona in 1918, more than 10 feet tall, cracks the roasted beans and shakes them through metal screens to separate the shells from the nibs. The shells go back to the orchard as compost.
- Grinding and milling. A 5-ton vintage melangeur grinds the nibs into liquid chocolate over several hours, using only the cacao’s own fat. Milling then takes the particles below 20 microns, which is what makes the bar feel smooth.
- Conching and tempering. A 75-year-old Italian conch rocks the chocolate back and forth for 8 to 36 hours. The chocolate then ages for a few weeks to a couple of months before it is tempered in a cold clean room, which gives the finished bars their shine and snap.
- The finished bars. Back in the 1930s lounge, the tour ends with a guided tasting of the finished chocolate. The tour fee includes a discount on anything you buy, and Lonohana can FedEx your bars home.
| Factory tour | Details |
|---|---|
| Days | Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday tours are in English; Friday tours are in Japanese. |
| Length | About 90 minutes |
| Group size | 12 guests at most |
| Ages | 8 and up |
| Price | $56 adults, $46 kids 8 to 12. Kamaʻāina $46 and $36. |
| Arrival | Check in 10 minutes early. Street parking only. |
| Cancellation | Full refund or credit with 48 hours’ notice. No-shows pay in full. |
| Private groups | Up to 12 people. If the posted times do not work, Lonohana will try to fit your group in. |
| Phone | (808) 517-4475 |
Lonohana does not promise space to walk-ins, and with 12 spots per tour, the good dates go first. Book ahead, and if you want the Friday tour, use the Japanese-language booking page.
The Waikiki Chocolate Tasting
The tasting at the Waikiki store is 30 minutes and seated, with up to eight guests. You taste six chocolates across three courses, and the guide walks through how the cacao from each North Shore orchard develops its own flavor. Between courses you drink a spritzer made from cacao fruit, the sweet, tart pulp around the bean that most people never get to try because it does not travel. It is $15, includes a 10 percent discount voucher for the store, and the space is wheelchair accessible.
This is the one to book if you are staying in Waikiki without a car, if you have an hour rather than an afternoon, or if someone in your group is under 8.
Which Tour to Book
- Book the factory tour if you want to see chocolate made and can spare 90 minutes Wednesday through Saturday. It is the reason to come.
- Book the Waikiki tasting if you are short on time, traveling with kids 5 to 7, or staying near Lewers Street.
- Walk into the SALT tasting bar if you are already in Kakaʻako for lunch or the murals and want a flight without a reservation.
If you only do one, do the factory tour. The tasting tells you what Hawaii chocolate tastes like. The tour shows you why.
Bringing Kids
The factory tour is for ages 8 and up. Kids 8 to 12 pay the lower rate. The Waikiki tasting takes ages 5 and up, which makes it the family option for younger kids. For allergies, all Lonohana chocolate is made on equipment that also processes milk and tree nuts, in a facility that handles coconut, eggs, macadamia, peanuts, sesame, soy and wheat.
Good to know
Before you go
The factory has street parking only, so leave time to circle the block, and arrive 10 minutes before your tour. Pets are not allowed; service animals can join you in the tasting salon but not on the production floor. The factory shop is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 2pm if you want bars without the tour. Do not leave chocolate in a parked car on Oahu. Carry it with you or have it shipped.
How to Visit
Factory Tour & Tasting
The full tour inside the 1937 Kewalo Theatre. Tours run Wednesday through Saturday by reservation, and the factory shop is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 2pm. It is about 3 miles from Waikiki, a 10 to 20 minute drive or rideshare depending on traffic. Street parking only.
Waikiki Chocolate Tasting
The 30-minute guided tasting and Lonohana’s full shop, on Lewers Street a short walk from the beach. The store is open daily from 10am to 9pm. Walk from most Waikiki hotels, and check in at the shop 5 minutes before your tasting.
Tasting Bar @ SALT
Walk-in tasting flights of Lonohana and its sister brand Onomea, at the SALT at Our Kakaʻako block. Open Monday to Thursday noon to 5pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 8pm, and Sunday 9am to 5pm. It is about a 10-minute walk from the factory, so it pairs with a tour or a lunch in the neighborhood.
The cacao grows on the North Shore, but the orchards are not open for public tours, so the factory is where you see the farm’s side of the story. Kakaʻako and Waikiki both fit around a beach morning or a Pearl Harbor day. Drop the tour into your trip with the Oahu Itinerary Builder, and if you are after more things made on the island, Kō Hana’s rum distillery in Kunia runs a tour built the same way, from field to glass.
Lonohana Factory Tour FAQ
How much is the Lonohana chocolate factory tour?
$56 for adults and kids 13 and up, and $46 for kids 8 to 12. Kamaʻāina with a Hawaii ID pay $46 and $36. The tour runs 90 minutes and includes tastings throughout.
Where is the Lonohana chocolate factory?
At 711 Queen Street in Kakaʻako, Honolulu, inside the old Kewalo Theatre, about 3 miles from Waikiki. Parking is on the street only.
Can kids go on the Lonohana factory tour?
Kids 8 and older can. For younger kids, the 30-minute Waikiki Chocolate Tasting on Lewers Street takes ages 5 and up.
Is there a chocolate tasting in Waikiki?
Yes. Lonohana’s store at 226 Lewers Street runs a 30-minute guided tasting of six Hawaii-grown chocolates with a cacao fruit spritzer, for $15. Book a time ahead.
Can you visit Lonohana’s cacao farm?
Lonohana does not offer public tours of its North Shore orchards. The factory tour in Kakaʻako covers how the cacao is grown, and you taste fresh cacao from the pod when it is in season.
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