The History of Waialua Estate

Under the name Waialua Estate, Dole began to grow Coffee and Cacao on former sugarcane lands on the Wahiawa Plateau overlooking Oahu’s famous North Shore. It also built a Chocolate Factory in Honolulu and produces bean-to-bar chocolate considered world-class in flavor and quality.  This growing region is bordered on two sides by the steep and dramatic Waianae and Ko’olau mountain ranges in the shadow of Mt. Ka’ala, the Island’s highest point. The 155-acre coffee farm sits above the coastal towns of Haleiwa and Waialua at an elevation of about 700 feet (300 meters) above sea level, while the 80 acres of cacao are situated at sea level along the banks of the Kaukonahua river, near Waialua town. The climate is warm and mild with average temperatures in the mid 80’s Fahrenheit (25° Celsius) with an annual rainfall of 20”.

Processing the two crops works in tandem with harvest seasons spread six months apart which keeps our full-time crew employed year-round. Waialua Estate Coffee and Cacao makes use of integrated pest management programs including the protection of beneficial insects, the use of biological control products, and only limited use of traditional pesticides.  The orchards blossom under the watchful care of our skilled staff and consistently produce the fine products we offer today under the Waialua Estate brand.

For over a century, until its closure in 1996, the Waialua Sugar Company in the town of Waialua, on the North Shore of Oahu, was home to one of the largest sugarcane plantations in the state of Hawaii. The North Shore is also the original location of Dole Food Company’s pineapple growing and processing operation established by James Dole in 1901.

With the increasing globalization of agriculture, an economic need to diversify arose and culminated in the mid-1990s. With the closure of the sugarcane plantation in 1996 and response to growing consumer demand for distinctive, high-quality Hawaiian grown products, Dole initiated a program of diversified agriculture to assist displaced workers while expanding the local market with new products. Waialua Estate’s Coffee and Chocolate have further launched Hawaii onto the world stage for producing authentic Specialty Products.