About Us
Kulike
Farm
Aloha from Kulike Farm!
We are Dan Kelly and Rachel Laderman, and we make Hakalau Chocolate at Kulike Farm, our off-grid, organic, permaculture farm on the Hamakua coast of Big Island. Our goal is to be energy and food self-sufficient and restore soil health and flora/fauna diversity to this piece of the island. Our main crop is cacao, which we make into a unique 100% Hawaiian, honey-sweetened chocolate bar. This chocolate embodies the values of the farm - made with all Hawaiian ingredients, in partnership with other small organic farmer friends, with all aspects of production as clean and simple and good to the earth as possible.
Honey-Sweetened Hakalau Chocolate
Hakalau Chocolate is unique among chocolates because it is made with only two ingredients exclusively from Big Island: cacao beans and honey. When you bite into Hakalau Chocolate, the chocolate flavor immediately releases on your tongue; tiny bursts of sweet honey mingle with slightly bitter chocolate. We start with organically grown cacao from small orchards - ours and others along the East coast of Hawaiʻi Island. We ferment, dry, roast, crack, winnow, grind, conch, and pour each bar by hand.
Hakalau Chocolate
Tree-to-Bar
Every Step of the Way
Our cacao trees grow intermingled with other fruit trees throughout the farm. We never use herbicides or commercial fertilizers on them, only nutrient-dense compost made on the farm and mulch from surrounding support trees. Every step of Hakalau Chocolate-making is done by hand, in small batches. The only ingredient that goes in the grinder is cacao nibs. Then when we make bars, we stir in local honey, and finally add other locally grown, delicious spices, nuts, and salts. Many of these (the hot chili peppers, the cinnamon, some of the macadamia nuts) come from our own farm.
Pure Liquid Honey
Our honey comes from one of several natural beekeepers on the east side of Big Island. They do not use miticides, so there is no pesticide residue in the honey. They also (like us) are scrupulous about avoiding contact with plastics unless the plastic is BPA-free. Our farm has several hives and at times the honey in the bars is from right here on Kulike Farm. The bees forage in surrounding eucalyptus forests as well as all the fruit trees and flowers on the property (oranges, lemons, avocados, basil, bee balm etc.).
Hawaiian Honey
Ceylon Cinnamon
Our own farm-grown Ceylon Cinnamon
The cinnamon is from our Ceylon cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum), grown in a food forest alongside bananas, avocados, ice cream bean, and fruiting vines. We cut a section of the trunk, peel and clean the bark, and simply grind it up to add to our melanger for the last few hours. Ceylon cinnamon, often called "true cinnamon", is prized for regulating blood sugar, anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy qualities.
Hawaiʻi Seal of Quality
We earned the Hawaii Seal of Quality for the strictly Hawaiian-source of all of our ingredients.
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Hakalau Chocolate is as pure as it gets! All our bars start with our unique two-ingredient bold, dark chocolate using just our cacao, and local honey - no added cocoa butter, no lecithin, no refined sugar!
One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted Initiative
We are members of OneTreePlanted , and donate 3% of all proceeds to this essential planet-healing action - meaning at least one tree is planted for every farm tour, and three trees for every night at our guest house!
Forest Hale - Stay at Kulike Farm!
We also have a guest house "Forest Hale," for short-term rentals, nestled in a tropical food forest within a short walk to our stunning waterfall, with a swimming hole. As guests, you can have a tour of our edible landscape featuring cacao and numerous other edible plants. You can collect eggs in our Korean Natural Farming chicken house, and visit tortoises, bunnies, and ducks. Here is a short video exploring the farm: https://youtu.be/tf80SIIrY20
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For more info and bookings, either go through Airbnb, at https://airbnb.com/h/forest-hale, or contact us at kulikeforestfarm@gmail.com
