Last week, The Conversation featured stories about craft chocolates and the blossoming local cacao industry.
HPR has been receiving updates from Dan O'Doherty, vice president of Farm and Factory Operations at Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate, who feared his company had lost its Lāhainā factory and visitor center to the recent wildfires.
He recently found out his facilities were spared, but the company's mauka farm was severely damaged by strong winds.
The company released a statement saying their fall crop has been completely lost, and they expect it to take six months for the cacao trees to re-foliate. Sales will likely suffer as a result.
"We're trying to stay focused on the bright spots that there are. The factory was kind of buried visibly under a pillar of black smoke, and when that receded, we could see the factory was completely intact, which was amazing," O'Doherty recalled.
“But I think more importantly, around that same time, we were able to find out where everybody was on our team and that they all were safe, although several people did lose their home and all their belongings."
All company profits go to Maui charities, which will aid in fire recovery efforts.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 15, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
For more information on how you can help fire recovery efforts, go here.
