The Story of Maui Chocolate with VP, Daniel O’Doherty

The Story of Maui Chocolate with VP, Daniel O'Doherty.

Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate Inc. (MKEC) is Maui’s first farm-to-bar chocolate

MKEC was founded in 2015 by former biotech entrepreneur and full-time west Maui resident Gunars Valkirs, with the goal of growing and making some of the world’s finest chocolate right here on Maui and then returning 100% of net profits in cooperation with its wholesale corporate partners to Maui charities and the nonprofit community. Cacao trees need a tropical environment to thrive, making Hawai‘i the only state in the U.S. where cacao can be grown outside of a greenhouse. The company crafts Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate, from cacao grown locally on its 50-acre farm: and Ku’ia Estate Chocolate, from cacao sourced from a single-origin family farm in Ecuador and in rainforests of Amazonian Brazil. MKEC’s retail store offers a viewing window into the factory, and a peek back up the hillside to where the cacao was grown and harvested.

http://mauichocolate.com/