For a rare, up-close look at the world of bees and the sweet, sustainable products they help create, visit Mānoa Honey & Mead for a “hive-to-glass” experience unlike any other. The company was founded in 1989 in O‘ahu’s Mānoa Valley as a small, family-owned beekeeping company. In 2014, its current owners purchased the company, honing their craft in the “Golden Triangle” philosophy, which emphasizes the special relationship between plants, bees, and mankind. In 2020, they unveiled their first batch of mead and have continued to expand their products ever since, utilizing local Hawaiian honey and tropical fruits. Guests at their Wahiawa location can enjoy a 30-minute Craft Mead Tasting in their open-air mead garden. The flight comprises a six-varietal set featuring flagship meads in both sparkling and still styles. Servers present each glass with information on where the honey was sourced, as well as local inclusions to the mead, before stepping away to allow guests to explore local agriculture in one sip. For an engaging tour of beekeeping, honey production, and mead tasting, the crew at Mānoa Honey & Mead also offers the Bees to Mead Tour, which takes guests on a 2.5-hour deep dive into the world of the buzzing, busy insect. After meeting at the Wahiawa location, guests are transported to a nearby apiary, where they put on protective gear and learn about beekeeping, honey harvesting, and mead production. Once back at the Honey House, a mead tasting and a light snack board are shared as guests mingle. And for those who want to delve into the world of mead further, the newest addition to the roster of experiences is the one-hour Mead Talk. During the one-hour interactive session, the team’s junior beekeeper and mead enthusiast, Evan, shares more about meads of the past, the modern mead they create, and his hopes for the future of mead. At the same time, guests enjoy a six-variety mead tasting, a three-variety honey tasting, and light snacks. 

Mānoa Honey & Mead; 930 Palm Place, Wahiawa; (808) 493-9081; manoahoney.com; Craft Mead Tasting offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last seating at 5 p.m.; Bees to Mead Tour offered Friday and Saturday with times available on their website; Mead Talk available the last Saturday of the month with times available on their website.