Island Treasures: Kohala Grown Market & Farm Tours
In the beautiful and stunning North Kohala area resides the Kohala Grown Market & Farm Tours.
Owner Leo Woods says through the tours visitors and locals alike get to experience fruits they’ve never had before, see the beautiful coastline along North Kohala, and eat lots and lots of tasty and rare cuisine.
The market is a locavore store where they carry local produce and feature products from around the island. It’s also where the farm tours begin.
The company partners with about six different farms in North Kohala and, depending on the tour, customers get to see one to two different farms during their trip.
“The farms we go to are diversified farms,” he says. “We also like to focus on exotic fruits and the main farm we go to has extensive exotic fruit.”
So what kind of fruit exactly would you get to try during one of these tours? Everything from rare bananas to a Rollinia, a unique tree fruit that Leo likens to soursop.
The experiential tours teach about the amazingly diverse food grown on Hawai‘i Island. “It’s all about learning about the history of the fruits, trees, and how they made it to Hawai‘i,” he says.
They teach their customers about how Hawaiians used different fruits, vegetables, or spice and herbs for various reasons. They also provide the opportunity to talk to a farmer about what and how they grow their food.
Customers experiencing the all-inclusive tour will also get to stop at the Kohala Welcome Center. The four-and-a-half hour tour ends at Sushi Rock restaurant, where they have a special menu that features local ingredients.
Kohala Grown Farm Tours recently started a condensed tour where customers visit only one farm.
No matter which tour one takes, visitors will walk away with a new perspective.
“Most people come away totally fascinated by the information that’s shared. Fruit tasting is a big highlight. Locals and visitors to the island join together on the tour and half the things on the table no one has ever tried,” Leo says.
Kohala Grown Market & Farm Tours
55-3419 Akoni Pule Highway, Hawi
10am–5pm
808.937.4930
