The cacao industry of St. Lucia has deep roots, dating back to the 1700s, when growers began exporting the beans to Europe. However, it wasn’t until recently that farmers started retaining a portion of their crops to produce chocolate locally. This shift, in conjunction with the arrival of British company Hotel Chocolat, sparked a renewed passion for the island’s cacao.

Thanks to St. Lucia’s warm climate and tropical rainforests — ideal conditions for cacao trees — there are now more than 150 island farms dedicated to the plant’s cultivation. The wide array of choco-tourism experiences intrigued us: immersive plantation tours, hands-on truffle-making classes and indulgent cacao-based spa treatments, among others. Below are some of the sweetest highlights from our trip.

Rabot Estate

Hotel Chocolat owns this estate, which encompasses a historic 140-acre cacao farm and the 25-room Rabot Hotel. We signed up for its Tree-to-Bar experience. After our passionate guide walked us through the essentials of sustainable farming, we learned the delicate art of grafting cacao trees and sampled the tangy cacao pulp straight from a freshly picked pod. A class came next, during which we crafted chocolate the traditional way. With pestles in hand, we pounded cacao nibs into powder using a hot mortar. We added icing sugar and cocoa butter, grinding away until the mixture transformed into a paste and eventually a liquid. After pouring it into molds, we wandered over to the food trucks while waiting for our bars to set. We lunched on chicken roti in a cacao wrap, white-chocolate mashed potatoes and a cacao-based hummus. Somehow, those dishes all managed to be bland. We preferred spending our calories on the decadent chocolate-infused daiquiri and the martini mixed with cacao pulp. For a crash course in St. Lucia’s cacao production, Rabot Estate is the place to start. It felt quite satisfying to nibble on our handmade chocolate bars during a sunset cruise — the perfect ending to an unforgettable experience.