Conference: Saturday July 11

Enjoy a light breakfast of pastries and coffee (provided)

 This is your chance to build confidence in your chocolate tasting skills! Unwrap the secrets behind the perfect bar in this exclusive chocolate tasting and evaluation session. You’ll learn to look, snap, and taste like a true professional, mastering the exact sensory techniques experts use to assess high-quality chocolate.

We've been working hard behind the scenes to develop a comprehensive cacao fermentation manual, and it's finally ready! Perfect the art of post-harvest processing with the ultimate step-by-step manual for flawless cacao fermentation. This essential session guides farmers from A to Z, delivering the exact tools needed to maximize flavor profiles. A printed copy will be available for every participant to take home.

Enjoy lunch from a local catering partner. (provided)

Panel discussion featuring: 

• Maria Carl, 21 Degrees Estate (Oahu)
• Dylan Butterbaugh, Manoa Chocolate (Oahu)
• Mauricio Abreu, FareHarbor (Oahu)
• Moderator: Ryan Gallagher, Lydgate Farms (Kauai)

Chocolate is an experience! This insightful session dives into how the islands are leaning into chocolate tourism as a viable revenue source, revealing the blueprint for building unforgettable farm and factory experiences.

Discover the latest advancements in Hawaii cacao growing. We’re breaking down the newest data on statewide terroir and clonal rootstock trials, plus sharing essential field strategies to combat black pod rot and the Queensland Longhorn Beetle. Don't miss these actionable insights for local growers.