Monks and members are invited to a private tour of a chocolate farm

Will Lydgate is the inspiration/owner and he gave such an information-rich introduction.

We arrived at 4pm and were greeting Hawaiian style, so gracious

Sadasivanathaswami brought some plant gifts for their grounds and a large garland.

Will told of the history of the farm and its long relationship with the monastery. There was a rich tasting of several varieties of chocolate that they make. Seems they were awarded Best in the World in a Paris exhibition. Turns out it’s quite an art to make at this level.

Next we are off to walk among the trees. here Will opens a fruit to show us the seeds inside. Most fruits are yellow, some are maroon red.

Like this one. They cross-pollinate easily so most are hybrids.

The white flesh surrounding the seeds (about 54 in each pod) taste quite nice and are used for making goodies and popsicles.

Trekking through the trees. The one on the right is 3 years old.

Next Will takes us into the extensive vanilla shade houses. Hundreds of vines.

Kailey Carlson is in charge of the growing of cacao and vanilla, and shows us their operation. It’s labor intensive., as each vanilla flower must be pollinated by hand on the day it opens, and it closes before noon!

They sometimes pollinate 3,000 flowers in a morning.

Next we are off to see shere beans are fermented and dried.

It reminds us of similar coffee farms we have visited.

WThese are the beans after fermentation. Cacao beans are referred to as “nibs” after they have been harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, and then cracked into smaller pieces. These pieces are the pure, edible part of the cacao bean, with the outer husk removed (husks are intact in this photo)

The fermentation bins where a few hundred pounds of beans are placed for a couple of days. It is this fermentation that does the magic with taste and texture.

Two days back monks and members were invited by the team at Lydgate Farm to take a private afternoon tour, complete with tasting of chocolates of various varieties and their own home-made popsicles. We take you with us on the tour which was a master class in chocolate making and a delightful connection with our friends and neighbors who run the farm. The Lydgates have a long history on the island, and Will is continuing their leadership in the community, creating an awesome model for ag production and tours. Thank you, Will, and to Ryan and Kailey too.

In the short video below, Will Lydgate gives an introduction to the farm and his vision.