Hawaiʻi is the only U.S. state with commercial cacao farms. Skip Bittenbender has witnessed the industry's growth on the islands from the beginning.
The retired University of Hawaiʻi professor likes to use Hawaiian sugar cane and Hawaiian-grown cacao in his Mānoa laboratory.
The crop has come a long way since cacao first appeared as a novelty in King Kalākaua's garden. Hawaiian chocolate has grown in popularity over the years.
"If you want to call it Hawaiian chocolate, or by any other Hawaiian island name, 100% of the cocoa liquor, or the beans used to make that, have to be grown in Hawaiʻi," Bittenbender explained.
"If you're going to be creating blends, … it has to be at least 51% Hawaiʻi-grown beans. The other 49% can be from someplace else."
Bittenbender and his students at the UH College of Tropical Agriculture have been intimately involved in building the industry.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 11, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
