Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours Weekly Update

Welcome back to Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours Weekly Update. These weekly updates will shine a light on what is currently happening with Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours,
Kupa’a Farms, marketing ideas, exceptional things to do on Maui, and an array of ideas that come to the forefront of this author’s marketing mind.

The Spring has Sprung article pointed out the similarities of starting a brand new business and spring time. The article also highlighted some of mother Maui’s glorious spring splendors. This week’s article will be a continuation of that theme: starting a business on Maui and building a business on Maui. All of these ideas will be intertwined with chocolate, coffee, and sustainable food and brain products. For clarification purposes, the sustainable brain products are these words from which you will be entertained and hopefully learn something. These weekly articles will also bring you chocolate, coffee and food ideas and recipes, and current events from Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours, and other activities to enjoy on Maui.

Starting a Business in Hawaii

Starting and building a business in Hawaii, especially Maui, is the most challenging place in the United States. A sad claim to fame is that Hawaii ranks near the bottom as for being the most challenging place to conduct business. It is one of the trade offs for living in one of the most beautiful places on the planet! So rather than sitting back and waiting for people to find Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours on the internet, we are working on driving the business with this very cool tool on our website linked with our social media.

With the brilliant guidance of Charles Oreve, the owner of The X Concept, we have all these linked together, so easy that in new world of marketing, this electronic-marketing neophyte can drive the business towards success. Of course, I love to talk chocolate, coffee and all the other wonderful things growing at Kupa’a Farms , but for the moment we are creating a bigger reach by cross marketing and networking, so we can keep  those fun chocolate, coffee and food ideas coming!

A Little Bit of History About Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tour’s Manager

Yes, this author has a  BS degree in marketing from the University of Washington…go dawgs! Marketing concepts are still the same, but the marketing vehicles have changed and we can thank a lot of that technology coming from the Seattle area. After 35 years of residing here on Maui, I finally get to revisit putting on my marketing hat in a totally new marketing world.

When I owned Who Cut The Cheese a few years ago, I had a blast with marketing, and back then all this social media was just beginning to surface, so we used different marketing strategies.
One of the many things I love about learning, is instant gratification in sharing newly acquired information.  That goes the same for learning about all these awesome Maui activities I am currently experiencing with this little bit of “development time” for Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth by far is the best advertising ever! How do you spread the word? The good old fashioned way. People are your best advertising. Sure there are reviews…guess what gang? Those reviews, Google Reviews , Trip Advisor, Yelp , and so on are submitted by PEOPLE!
However, people still like to be told what to do! Back in my wine distribution days, I conducted wine selling seminars for managers and servers for hotels such as, The  Ritz Carlton The Grand Wailea, and Stouffers (now the Andaz, Wailea). I also conducted this same seminar for fine dining restaurants such as, Seawatch (now Gannon’s),The Plantation House, and the Kihei Prime Rib House (now Moose McGuillicudy’s!). The course was designed by Kevin Zraly, a master of wine from the Windows on the World in NY which was sadly taken down when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11/2001.

According to Mr. Zraly, “90% of people want a wine recommendation” from their server. Now this number may have changed due to fancy wine apps and more sophisticated wine drinkers, but smart shoppers still ask for a recommendation. This is true for visitors looking for interesting and new activities on Maui. For this we have our hotel concierges who provide an invaluable service for their hotel guests. Bellmen, valet, food servers, and bartenders are also excellent sources for this type of information.

Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours’  Cross Promotion

Cross promoting and networking are the next marketing tools I’d like to address. This is the section where I get to help out my fellow business buddies! Yay! Fun the things to do on Maui. Okay, you kama’aina, do you really have to wait for someone to come visit from the mainland to try new stuff? You should be the seasoned “funster” showing them the way!  All of you people in the visitor service industry, the same message goes out to YOU!!! There is a slogan from an old advertising campaign, “why should the tourists have all the fun?” Get out there and enjoy your island so you can truly recommend cool hidden gems of fun!

Back in the Day

Back in the day when I was an activity agent, I took my job very seriously. I experienced almost every luau, as well as many other activities,  on Maui. The Feast at Lele is still my favorite luau, but knowing all the luaus, it may not be an appropriate recommendation for a family with 4 small children. Just like we love children on our chocolate and coffee tours, it may not be age appropriate for children under 6. We are VERY entertaining, but there is lots of talking, some walking, chocolate making and tasting! We do our best to keep the wee ones entertained. So, just like the Feast at Lele, this is a luau for adults who want table service with great wine (seldom found at luaus), tropical drinks and an amazing Polynesian show with dance and costumes from all the Polynesian islands, including Hawaii!

Luau Owners

The owners of this luau also own Pacific’o restaurant and O’o Farms. They are truly pioneers in the farm to table movement here on Maui that started years ago. Way to go Stephan and Louie! As of this writing, I still have not experienced their farm tour but hopefully that will change soon. They are on my educational fun-to- do list. By the way, Feast at Lele sells out quickly and they don’t need much marketing help, but mentioning them in my article helps Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours!

Maui Pineapple Tour

Maui Pineapple Tour is another newly experienced activity. Again, they don’t need much marketing help, and they are helping Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours by us mentioning them on our website. It’s all about “key” words, “snippets” and meta “who da guy” for your SEO. Sounds pretty techie from a novice?! Thank you Charles Oreve, Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours’ marketing consultant, who owns The X Concept. He is helping tutor me on how to drive the website.

Back to Maui Pineapple Tour, if it wasn’t for that tour, pineapple may have sadly disappeared completely from Maui. Thanks you guys! Maui used to have 4,100 acres of pineapple growing, and currently it’s about 800 – 900 acres  in Hali’imaile.  Super cool.

Tour Guides  Invited to Come on Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours

I recommend that their tour guides come on our tour, so they have the full historical and current agricultural  picture. Cacao was one of the 3 contenders for agricultural products to be grown in Hawaii back in the 1800’s. Sugar cane and pineapple won out, and cacao lost due to the trade winds. Wind is not cacao’s friend! Looking at our current agricultural state of affairs…we can’t grow cacao fast enough!

Other Maui Tours

Now, let’s talk about one of the new kids on the block. My friend, Delphine, started Unique Maui Tours, a private Maui touring company, about a year or so ago. She is going gang busters! It did not happen over night. Delphine currently purchased a new business, Explore Maui Nature, that offers birding excursions in Haleakala and other private excursions. It is a very niche market, but brilliant in allowing her to develop new products for upcountry excursions. It will be great to promote more farm tours such as Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours .

Aloha Bars Maui

My other friend, Kirsty, owns Aloha Bars Maui . It is a full service boutique bar catering company  that designs and serves up amazing customized signature cocktails. She is your party specialist!
Aloha Bars Maui is about 5 years old. and I am proud to say, Who Cut The Cheese and Stuey’s Wine Cellar, helped launch her business. I was her “tor”mentor, and now she is mine for marketing! Charles, The X Concept, is also her marketing consultant.

In Summary

This a good place to summarize. What does all of this mean? It’s all about people, and how we all help each other out in driving or continuing success for  our businesses and lives. If you made it through this lengthy article, good one on you and  mahalo!  My newly acquired knowledge is that length is good for our website’s SEO!

Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours on Social Media

Come play! Experience upcountry Maui  on of our tours offered by Maui Chocolate and Coffee Tours. Learn how we are trying to get back where we came from in regards to growing sustainable food for our bodies and minds. Remember that the Hawaiians were 100% self sustained by their farming, hunting and fishing until us white folk came along. Learn from them and respect their culture while you are in Hawaii, and you will have a much greater appreciation for their “aina” and love for nature.

Please remember to like us on Facebook, follow on Instagram, and/or write  a Google review, “Trip us up” or  “Yelp us out” out even on this article if you found it fun, useful and/or entertaining!

Mahalo from your devoted team that loves to rock chocolate and coffee all day long with aloha!

These are just a few fun shots of fun, love,  and laughter from the farm and some of the fine folks mentioned in the above article.