Honoka’a Couple Turns Curiosity Into Award-Winning Chocolate Business

Two Honoka’a chocolatiers hope the passion and enthusiasm they have for their craft will change the way people think about chocolate.

Mike and Rhonda Pollard moved to the Big Island about 16 years ago, looking for a new environment and a slower pace of life. While they both have some farming experience, farming and chocolate making weren’t in their plans until 2013, when they purchased Kahi Ola Mau Farm in Honoka’a.

“We bought the farm with the full intention of farming for a living, but we didn’t know what to grow,” Mike Pollard said.

“Initially, we planted a lot of different varieties because we weren’t sure what would grow well here,” Pollard added. “That was until I went to the Big Island Chocolate Festival and came home with a cacao pod to plant.”

After seeing the cacao trees grow and produce well on the farm, it wasn’t long before Mike Pollard found himself obsessed with growing cacao and learning how to make chocolate from scratch.

“I knew nothing about chocolate. I didn’t even know it came from a tree or a fruit,” he said. “As with most things, I became obsessed, reading everything I could about chocolate making and finding mentors to guide me through this eye-opening experience.”

While continuing to learn about cacao and chocolate, Mike Pollard worked as a senior engineer at the W.M. Keck Observatory until he had the opportunity to resign and begin creating what is now Honoka’a Chocolate Co.

Since 2017, the Pollards have been developing Honoka’a Chocolate Co. with the goal of crafting premium artisanal chocolate using the highest quality cacao and organic cane sugar, locally sourced from the island of Hawaii and ethically sourced from sustainable farms around the world.

Nearly seven years later, the company sells nine different chocolate bars in its core product line.

The company also produces special products for a limited time or for subscriptions.

The nine bars are: Pure Hawaiian 85% Cacao Bar, Pure Hawaiian 70% Cacao Bar, Kuleana Rum Works Barrel-Aged Rum Bar, Kuleana Rum Works Coconut Milk Bar, Barrel-Aged Bourbon Bar, 65% Coconut Dark Milk Chocolate Bar, 55% Milk Chocolate Bar, Pure Hawaiian 55% Cacao Goat Milk Bar and Barrel-Aged Drunken Goat Milk Bar.

There are about 500 cacao trees on the Kahi Ola Mau farm that produce about 5 pounds of chocolate each, so the Pollards purchase most of their beans from other Big Island farms.

Six of their chocolates are 100% grown in Hawaii.

“Our milk chocolate beans come mainly from Ecuador, where Belgian companies buy their beans,” said Mike Pollard. “We can call our chocolates premium because we do absolutely everything we can to make the best and most ethical choices when it comes to ingredients.”

Raising awareness about the cocoa industry has become one of the Pollards’ most important missions since opening Honoka’a Chocolate Co., and is a major topic of discussion during the two-hour tour of the farm and factory.

“My goal with this operation is to completely change the way people think about chocolate,” he said. “That starts with shedding light on where it comes from. There are real atrocities tied to this industry, and few people are aware of it.”

According to the Pollards, 70 to 75 percent of cocoa beans are imported from Ghana and Ivory Coast, where large companies source their supplies. With low-paid labor, including child labor, the beans are much cheaper than those from ethical sources.

“If a consumer spends a little more, they can know exactly where their chocolate comes from, and ultimately it lasts longer because it’s better quality and more satisfying,” Pollard said.

He began seeing the fruits of his labor early on when he began entering Pollards products into competitions in 2020, earning the company more than 50 national and international awards.

This year alone, seven products have already won awards, the most recent being four gold medals and two silver medals at the Chocolate Alliance Global Awards.

Out of 300 applications from companies around the world, Honoka’a Chocolate Co. was the only producer to achieve gold status in the milk chocolate category.

“These awards prove that the extra work, such as measuring viscosity and temper quality and carefully selecting premium beans, is well worth it,” Mike said. “We consistently produce a world-class product.”

In 2023, the Pollards opened their first flagship store and factory on Mamane Street in Honoka’a, allowing them to move the chocolate-making operations to a larger space, hire more staff, and reach more visitors.

“We’re really excited to have our farm and mill in Honoka’a. We’ve been here since 2013 and we’re not leaving anytime soon,” said Mike Pollard. “We love this community.”

This week, Honoka’a Chocolate Co. began offering guided tastings at the farm, where it plans to expand its sourcing of barrel-aged chocolate and create an immersive chocolate experience similar to that of a winery.

“We came up with the idea of ​​a tasting conservatory because of the similarity of the operation to a winery: the way things grow, the way flavors are affected and the potential experience for visitors,” Pollard said.

“I want to soon emulate that feeling on the farm and become the place to go if you’re in Honoka’a.”

In addition to expanding his operations at home, he also has big plans for the domestic market and hopes to make Honoka’a Chocolate Co. a household name and show chocolate connoisseurs the high quality of chocolate grown on the island of Hawaii.

“I will soon start traveling around the continent to meet with chefs, sommeliers and specialty stores to expand our reach and bring chocolate to more places,” he said. “We have a lot of big plans.”

The Honoka’a Chocolate Co. store is open for shopping and tastings from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 45-3587 Mamane St.

For more information on tours, tastings, purchasing chocolate online, or joining their subscription service, visit honokaachocolateco.com

Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.