KAPALUA Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc. (NYSE: MLP) last week announced that on April 14, 2023, the Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously appro
Farmers prepare for harvest at Maui Ku‘ia Estate cacao farm
By Staff | Apr 30, 2021
Farmer Palani Wright harvests cacao at Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate’s 20-acre farm in Lahaina. PHOTO BY BRAD PAULSON.
LAHAINA Things are hopping at Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate’s 20-acre cacao farm in Lahaina. Not only is the farm now open for public tours, but spring harvest for the 5,000-plus cacao trees is underway. For cacao farmers David McPherson and Palani Wright, the hands-on process of cultivating, harvesting and fermenting cacao is an experience to be savored. “Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that can grow production cacao,” McPherson said. “That being said, it is new to us as farmers. It’s exciting to be part of a new cacao origin that produces high-quality cacao beans. Not only on our farm at MKEC, we want to see all of Hawaii grow a high-quality cacao bean!”
Trial by Trail: Waihee Ridge Trail
Waihe‘e Ridge isn’t for the faint of heart (pant, pant), but the effort yields rich rewards.
July 1, 2012
Story by Heidi Pool | Photography by Bob Bangerter
It’s the kind of Maui morning that’s ideal for a hike: sun attempting to burst through cottony clouds, trade winds riffling tall grasses and treetops perfect, when you’re about to hike two-and-a-half miles, gaining 1,563 feet of elevation, in pursuit of a panorama.
Waihee Ridge Trail isn’t well known, but it’s one of the island’s best, an opportunity to get off the beaten path and rack up some serious aerobic exercise, while enjoying breathtaking scenery. Part of the State of Hawaii’s Na Ala Hele trail system, it’s well maintained and well marked. Today, nineteen of us are on an interpretive hike into this vital forest reserve, led by staff from the West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership.