Hawaii Travel Made Easy Podcast

The Best Hawaii Farm Tours & Agricultural Experiences

• Marcie Cheung • Episode 7

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Exploring Hawaii Through Farm Tours: A Guide to Unforgettable Agricultural Experiences

In this episode of Hawaii Travel Made Easy, host Marcie invites travelers to delve into the agricultural side of Hawaii, sharing insights on the best farm tours across the islands. From pineapple and coffee plantations to chocolate and honey farms, Marcie offers detailed recommendations for various interests, whether you're a foodie, adventure seeker, or sustainability advocate. The episode also provides practical tips for planning, such as booking in advance, what to wear, and farm tour accessibility. Listeners will learn the historical and cultural significance of Hawaii's agriculture, making these tours a meaningful addition to any Hawaiian vacation.

00:00 Welcome to Hawaii Travel Made Easy

00:55 Exploring Hawaii's Agricultural Heritage

01:57 Choosing the Best Farm Tour for You

02:36 Sustainability and Farm Tours

03:02 Overview of Farm Experiences in Hawaii

04:11 Top Questions About Farm Tours

05:05 Personal Farm Tour Recommendations

12:39 Food Pairings and Farm-to-Table Dining

15:14 What to Wear and Bring on a Farm Tour

15:38 Conclusion and Final Tips

Buy my Hawaii guides on my blog or Amazon

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 Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Travel Made Easy. I'm Marcie, your guide to Planning Stress-Free Unforgettable Hawaiian Vacations. If you're like me, you love getting beyond the touristy spots and experiencing the real Hawaii, and one of the best ways to do that. Farm tours in agricultural experiences. Hawaii is famous for its pineapples, coffee, chocolate, tropical fruits and honey.

And there are amazing farms all across the islands where you can see how these delicious products are grown, harvested, and made. I've personally done a ton of farm tours and today I'm sharing the best ones, answering common questions and helping you decide which farm experiences are worth your time.

And before we dive in, don't forget. I've created detailed 70 itineraries for each Hawaiian island plus an island hopping guide. To help you maximize your time, you can grab them on my blog or Amazon. All right, let's dig into the best farm tours in Hawaii.

Hawaii has a rich agricultural history that dates back centuries. The first Polynesian settlers brought plants like taro, which is used to make poi a staple in Hawaiian cuisine. Coconut, which is used for food, drink, and materials, sweet potatoes and breadfruit, which are important sources of sustenance.

In the 1800s, Hawaii became a major producer of sugar cane and pineapples, bringing in immigrant workers from Japan, China, Portugal, and the Philippines. This heavily influenced Hawaii's food culture and traditions. Today with most sugar cane plantation's gone, Hawaii's farms focus on sustainable agriculture.

Organic farming and specialty crops like coffee, cacao, and tropical fruits. That's why farm tours are such a great way to connect with Hawaii's history, culture, and environment.

There are so many different farm tours in Hawaii. So how do you know which one to pick? Here's how to choose based on your interests. If you're a foodie, choose a tour with tastings and farm to table dining like Lydgate Farms Chocolate tour on Kauai, or the O'o Farm Brunch tour on Maui for families. Look for hands-on experiences like Dole Plantations train ride on Oahu or Maui Tropical Plantations tram tour.

For coffee lovers visit a working coffee farm like Greenwell Farms on the big island, or Kauai Coffee Company for adventure seekers. Try a beekeeping tour at Big Island Bees or explore the working taro fields at Hanalei Taro Farm. This way, you pick the Best Farm Tour for your travel style.

So what are a few ways that Farm Tours support sustainability? Visiting local farms in Hawaii helps support small family run businesses. It also encourages sustainable farming practices. Protects Hawaii's natural resources by reducing imported foods, educates visitors on the importance of organic farming and preserving indigenous crops, and promotes ethical tourism by engaging in meaningful eco-conscious experiences.

All right. Let's do an overview of farm and agricultural experiences in Hawaii. Hawaii is so much more than beaches and resorts. It has a rich agricultural history that dates back centuries. There are several types of farm experiences you can have in Hawaii. Pineapple plantations, Hawaii used to be one of the world's top pineapple producers, and you can still visit working plantations today.

There's also coffee farms. 100% Kona Coffee is world famous, but you can also find delicious coffee on Maui and Kauai chocolate and cacao farms. Hawaii is the only state in the US that grows cacao for chocolate production. There's also tropical fruit farms.

This is where you'll find lychee, mango, passion fruit, guava, and dragon fruit growing year round. There are traditional tarot farms. Tarot is used to make poi, which is a staple in Hawaiian cuisine. There are also beekeeping and honey farms. Hawaii produces some of the rarest honey in the world, thanks to its unique flowers and plants.

So whether you're a coffee lover, foodie, or just wanna explore beyond the beaches, there's a farm tour for you.

All right. Let's talk about top questions. These are some of the most common questions I get from people interested in doing farm tours in Hawaii. Number one, do I need to book farm tours in advance? Yes, many tours sell out, especially during peak season. Number two, are farm tours Kid friendly? Well most are, but some coffee and chocolate tours may be better suited for older kids and adults.

There'll be a minimum age listed on their website. Number three, what should I wear? I recommend clothes, toed shoes, comfortable clothes, and lots of sun protection. Number four, can I sample or buy farm fresh products? Yes, many farms. Sell fresh coffee, chocolate, fruit, and honey. And number five, are farm tours accessible for people with mobility concerns? Well, the truth is some are, but some aren't. So you always will wanna check with each tour provider individually.

Okay. Now is my favorite section. I'm gonna be chatting about my personal experiences with farm tours on each island. I've done tons of farm tours across the Hawaiian Islands, and these are my personal top recommendations on Oahu. There's Dole Plantation. This is fun for families, but the real hidden gem is the working pineapple farm that's across the street, and a lot of people don't know about it.

Dole Plantation itself is fun, but it's definitely a tourist attraction first and a farm second. Yep. The Dole Whip is great and the train ride is fun for kids, but the best experience go across the street because there's an actual working pineapple farm where you can take a real farm tour. Here, you'll learn about how pineapples grow, get hands on with the plants, and even taste fresh picked pineapple right from the fields. I was really impressed with this tour, and we each got to bring home a pineapple that was packaged to take on the flight back.

Kahuku Farms. This is a peaceful North shore farm experience with a fantastic cafe. This tour is super chill and perfect. If you love food, the farm is family owned and you'll get to ride a wagon through their beautiful orchards. And the best part, the cafe at the end, oh my gosh. Order their lilikoi butter mochi, fresh smoothies or acai bowls made with fresh, made with fruit grown right on the farm.

Their acai bowl is seriously the best one I've ever tasted in Hawaii, and we eat them a lot. I think it's because they actually grow the acai berries on their farm. If you want a non touristy farm experience, this one is perfect. There's also the Kualoa Ranch Aloha Aina tour.

It's more than just a movie location. It's a real working farm. So most people visit Kualoa Ranch for the Jurassic Park tours, which are amazing. But this one is all about Hawaiian agriculture. You'll get to see, you'll see traditional Hawaiian taro farms taste fresh. Taste, farm fresh fruit, and even get hands-on experiences in a real working garden.

The location is absolutely stunning, and it's perfect for photo ops as you explore. All right, let's jump over to Maui. There's the Maui Pineapple Tour, which is a must do for fruit lovers, and it's unique to Maui. This is my favorite farm tour on Maui. You'll walk through the golden fields of Maui gold pineapples.

Learn how they're grown and get to taste pineapples at different stages of ripeness. And the bonus, they give you a pineapple to take home, and it's packaged for the airplane. It's also right next door to a distillery if you wanna do a tasting, and it's across the street from a super tasty restaurant.

Next step is the Maui Tropical Plantation, which is a great mix of scenery, food, and a little education. This gorgeous plantation offers a tram tour through its vast property, where you'll see papayas, bananas, coffee and sugar cane growing. There's also a coffee roastery and a farm to table restaurant so you can make a whole afternoon of it.

And the setting is also really pretty.

Next up is the Ku'ia Estates Chocolate Farm tour. It's chocolate with a view. If you love chocolate and sustainability, this is a great tour. To add to your itinerary, you'll visit Maui's largest chocolate farm, learn about organic cacao farming, and then head to the rooftop of their factory for a chocolate tasting with stunning ocean and mountain views.

It is an amazing experience for couples, families, and foodies, and it helps support a Laina small business. There's also the Maui Chocolate Factory Tour, which is a fun behind the scenes look at how chocolate is made. So if you're more interested in how chocolate is processed, this indoor tour is perfect.

It's from the same people as the Ku'ia Estates Farm Tour, and there's an option to do both. You'll see how Maui grown cacao beans are turned into rich, small batch chocolate bars and several varieties. It's a great rainy day activity or a sweet treat after day of exploring. We've tried a bunch of their chocolate and the fruit flavored ones are amazing.

Finally, there's the O'o Farm Coffee and Brunch Tour. This is the best farm to table food experience I've had in Hawaii. This farm is high up in Maui's upcountry with Butte, with breathtaking views of the ocean. You'll tour the organic farm, pick some fresh ingredients, and watch as a chef, prepares a gourmet brunch using everything grown on site.

Okay, let's head over to the Big Island. Greenwell Farms is one of the best and most educational coffee farm tours. If you love 100% Kona Coffee, this is a must do. You'll learn how coffee goes from bean to cup, and the free tastings are amazing. The farm is gorgeous and they have some of the best Kona coffee beans for sale.

There's also the Lavaloha Chocolate Farm, which is a dream for chocolate lovers. This farm tour is interactive and fun. You'll see cacao trees up close. Learn how chocolate is processed and get to taste a ton of delicious samples. Their Hawaiian chocolate bars are incredible. I always grab extras to bring home.

And the bonus with this tour is that there's a private waterfall on this property that you can see during the tour. And finally, there's big island bees, which is a unique and underrated experience. This beekeeping tour is so cool. You actually get to see bees up close, learn how honey is made, and taste different flavors of Hawaiian honey.

It is great for families, foodies, and anyone interested in sustainability. And lastly, there's Kauai. There's the Kauai Coffee Company, which is the biggest coffee farm in the United States. You can walk through acres of coffee fields and do free tastings of their different roasts. The setting is beautiful and there's a cute cafe where you can sit, sip, and soak in the views.

They also have paid tours that take you into the coffee fields, and I thought the tour was totally worth the money. It was fascinating. Next step is a Lydgate Farms chocolate tour, which is one of my absolute favorites. This is a bean to bar chocolate farm, and the tour is so well done. You'll learn how cacao grows.

Get to crack open a cacao pod and taste rich, high quality chocolate. Made right on Kauai. There's also an opportunity to see other tropical fruit, and you can purchase chocolate that's only sold at the farm. Okay, finally, this might be the coolest farm tour in all of Hawaii is the Kalalea View Farm, one of the most breathtaking farms on Kauai.

Kalalea View Farm offers a diverse agricultural experience with stunning views of Kalalea Mountain. This family-run Farm focuses on sustainable organic farming and grows a variety of tropical fruits, vanilla, cacao, and more visitors can enjoy farm tours where you can learn about the farm's, sustainable growing techniques and organic farming practices.

There's also tasting experiences where you can sample fresh fruits, homemade vanilla extracts, and local farm to table treats. And there's hands-on activities you can participate in, farm work or educational sessions on regenerative agriculture.

My kids still talk about how they rode a bicycle to produce sugarcane juice they got to chop down a banana tree taste all kinds of tropical fruit and make their own specialty tropical punch. This farm is perfect for visitors, looking for an authentic off the beaten path experience, and a closer connection to Hawaii's farming traditions.

So after your farm tour, you might want to go somewhere to eat. Pairing your farm tour with a delicious meal or snack is the perfect way to extend your experience. So here are a couple of great food pairings to consider after your Kona coffee tour. Have brunch at the Coffee shack. After a Maui Chocolate tour, go get dessert at Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop.

After a Kauai Farm tour, go get fresh juice at Aloha Aina Juice Cafe. After a pineapple plantation tour, get fresh pineapple smoothies at a roadside stand. And after a beekeeping tour, go get locally sourced honey drizzled over ice cream from a nearby shop. Not only do these food pairings highlight local ingredients, but they also support small businesses and farmers throughout Hawaii.

Another way to experience Hawaii's agriculture is through farm to table dining. Farm to table dining means that restaurants source their ingredients from local farms, so everything on your plate is fresh, seasonal, and sustainably grown. So why is this special in Hawaii? Well, Hawaii imports about 85 to 90% of its food.

So eating farm to table helps support local farmers and reduce reliance on imports. You're also getting the freshest food possible, which is often picked just hours before you eat it. So why should you try it? You'll taste Hawaiian ingredients in their purest form. Think grass fed Hawaiian beef, freshly caught fish and tropical fruits straight from the farm.

The chefs often create dishes inspired by Hawaiian culture. Blending traditional flavors with modern techniques. It's a great way to connect with the land, meet local farmers, and appreciate how much work goes into growing food in Hawaii. So a few farm to table dining experiences you can get in Hawaii.

There's the Mill House on Maui, which is farm to table dining with incredible locally sourced meats, fish and vegetables, and the view is stunning. There's also Kahuku Farms Cafe, which we talked about earlier. Here, you can get Farm Fresh paninis smoothies and acai rolls on the North Shore.

I highly recommend a stop here. And finally, there's the Hana Farms roadside stand on Maui. They have delicious wood-fired pizzas, banana bread, and farm grown salads.

I wanna briefly talk about Farm tours for different types of travelers. So what's best for families? Is usually the Dole Plantation on Maui, Maui Tropical Plantation, and the Surfing goat dairy on Maui. And what's best for couples or foodies is O'o Farm, Lydgate Farms and Kahuku Farms. And for adventure seekers, there's Kualoa Ranch Aloha Aina Tour.

So, what should you wear and what should you bring on a farm tour in Hawaii? I suggest closed toed shoes because many farms have muddy or rocky terrain. Also, you'll want sun protection. Hats, sunscreen and sunglasses are a must. You'll also want bug spray, especially for tropical fruit farms near the water, and you'll want a reusable water bottle.

You gotta stay hydrated. So there you have it. Everything you need to know about farm tours in Hawaii, whether you're a food lover, coffee enthusiast, adventure seeker, or someone who wants to support sustainable tourism, there's a farm tour for you. Taking a farm tour is not just about seeing how food has grown, it's about connecting with Hawaii's rich agricultural history, supporting local farmers and tasting some of the freshest ingredients you'll ever try from pineapple farms to cacao plantations and beekeeping experiences.

These tours offer a deeper look at Hawaii beyond the beaches. Before you go, don't forget to check out my seven day itineraries and island hopping guide on my blog or Amazon. These guides will help you make the most of your Hawaii vacation with curated activities. Must see attractions and insider tips.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. It really helps other travelers find the show and plan their perfect Hawaiian adventure.  📍 Mahalo for listening and I'll see you in the next episode. Aloha.