us-hawaii-oahu
O'ahu (Waialua)
United States · O'ahu (Waialua / North Shore and windward O'ahu, Hawaii, USA) verified
admixture
A small cacao origin on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, centred on the Waialua Estate (planted by Dole on former sugar land from 1998) and Mānoa Chocolate's Kamananui Farm on the North Shore. Genetic studies by HARC and USDA-ARS describe O'ahu cacao as a UAF x Trinitario hybrid population.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Region | O'ahu (Waialua / North Shore and windward O'ahu, Hawaii, USA) |
| Growing region | Asia & Pacific |
| Coordinates | 21.57°, -158.13° (approx.) |
| Elevation | 0-150 m |
| Producer | multiple |
| Genetic groups | admixture |
| Traditional class | Trinitario |
| Also known as | Oahu, Waialua, North Shore |
| Bean notes | Microsatellite (SSR) fingerprinting by R. Schnell (USDA-ARS Miami) for HARC characterised the Waialua planting as Upper Amazon Forastero (UAF) x Trinitario hybrids with substantial variability, derived from seed sourced from the University of Hawai'i Waimanalo research station. Dole planted around 20,000 cacao seedlings on roughly 17-20 acres of former Waialua Sugar Company land from 1998 and renewed the planting in 2004; the Waialua Estate cacao now covers about 80 acres at sea level along the Kaukonahua river. Other operators on the North Shore include Mānoa Chocolate's Kamananui Farm, used as a Hawaiian cacao breeding hub. |
| Harvest season | harvest spread across much of the year |
| Fermentation | Small-scale farm box fermentation; some operators centralise fermentation and drying for beans collected from nearby smallholders. |
| Drying | Sun-dried on raised beds or in solar dryers. |
| Flavour | fruity · caramel · nutty · mild |
| Updated | 2026-05-23 |
Sources
- Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, 'Cacao Report No. 1, September 2009' — https://www.harc-hspa.com/uploads/2/6/1/7/26170270/cacao1.pdf
- Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, 'Cacao' programme page — https://www.harc-hspa.com/cacao.html
- Waialua Estate, 'About Us' — https://www.waialuaestate.com/about-us/
- Mānoa Chocolate, 'Our Cacao' — https://manoachocolate.com/pages/our-cacao
- CTAHR, 'Recommended Cacao Varieties Tested in Hawaiʻi' (FN-59) — https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FN-59.pdf
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- First indexed
- (not recorded)
- Last revised
- 2026-05-23
- Status
- verified
- Cited sources
- 5