Mānoa Honey & Mead, from the hive to the glass

As published on manoahoney.com and its booking pages, checked Sep 26, 2026. Confirm when you book.

Best for

• CouplesGreatHives first, then six meads and a snack board.
• FamiliesGoodAges 5 and up join at $60 under 21; the tasting is 21 and over.
• FriendsGreatA party of up to six can book a tour together.
• SoloGoodSeats sell one at a time, tasting included.
• GroupsSkipTours cap at six; ask about Honey Bar private events.

Michael Kliks founded Mānoa Honey Company in Mānoa Valley in the late 1990s. In January 2014 Yuki Uzuhashi, an Osaka-born sculptor who had kept bees in Japan since 2003, bought it with his wife, Erika, and moved production to Wahiawā.

When honey sales fell about 80 percent in 2020, Uzuhashi told Discover Nikkei, he turned to the mead he had studied at UC Davis. The first batch debuted that May. By 2024 the family kept eight apiaries of 30 to 40 hives each, and in June 2026 it opened The Honey Bar in Kaimukī.

You meet at the Honey House in Wahiawā for introductions and a safety talk, with waivers signed and closed shoes on. The beekeepers then drive the group to a nearby apiary to show how the bees are kept, how honey is harvested and how mead is made. Everyone gets a veil; bee suits are limited.

Back at the Honey House, the tour ends with six meads and a light snacking board. It runs 2 hours 30 minutes, starting at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. depending on the date.

The house style is sparkling, light and not too sweet, co-fermented with lilikoʻi, Java plum or pineapple. Still meads, closer to the old style, followed in 2022. Discover Nikkei reported four medals at the 2023 Mazer Cup International.

The Honey House pours free honey samples. The raw honeys follow the flowers: Christmas berry from the North Shore, ʻōhiʻa lehua from Puna, macadamia blossom from Kaʻū. A 2-ounce honey bear sampler set is $15, and honey ships anywhere in the U.S.

The Bees to Mead Tour is the one for a first visit: $98 for ages 21 and up, $60 under 21. A $10 deposit per person holds the spot; the rest is due at the end, when kamaʻāina save $10 with a Hawaii ID.

The Craft Mead Tasting is 30 minutes in the outdoor Mead Garden in Wahiawā, Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. (last seating 5 p.m.). Tastings start at $22, reserving is free and walk-ins are welcome.

Mead Through Time at The Honey Bar in Kaimukī is a 45-minute, one-on-one history of mead with six pours and a honey and cheese plate, $40 per person, 21 and over.

All three book through the company’s website, manoahoney.com.

The Honey House is at 930 Palm Place in Wahiawā, about 25 miles from Waikiki, with three parking spots in front and street parking nearby (not in the neighbors’ stalls). Plan on a car (our guide to renting a car on Oahu).

Wahiawā is on the way to the North Shore, so a morning tour leaves the afternoon for the coast: see our North Shore guide, the Oahu road trip and the scenic drive map. The free Wahiawā Botanical Garden is under a mile away. The Honey Bar, at 1142 Koko Head Avenue, takes walk-ins and sits a short drive from Diamond Head (our Diamond Head reservations guide).

• Book December now. The booking calendar already runs to Saturday, Dec. 19.
• Wear closed shoes. They are mandatory at the apiary.
• Sign the waiver early. Share the link from the confirmation email with your group.
• Cancel 5 days out. That keeps the deposit refundable.
• Skip Monday and Tuesday. The Honey House is closed; tastings run Friday to Sunday.