What tasting kauai does

Tasting Kauai is a privately held, family-owned experiential tourism company founded in 2013 by Marta and Dan and acquired in 2018 by Dr. Addison Bulosan, the current owner-operator. The company designs and delivers guided food tours, cooking classes, and farm experiences on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, operating across seven daily geographic rotations (Kilauea, Koloa/Waimea, Kapaa, Hanapepe, Lihue, Hanalei) plus event-based experiences such as the Kauai Brewers Festival and Battle of the Food Trucks. Its product portfolio spans standard guided food tours ($114/person), premium farm and cooking experiences ($125–$150/person), online virtual cooking classes ($20/class), private custom group tours, farmers market tours, the Kauai Foodies Club membership, and gift cards. Tasting Kauai explicitly positions itself as a sustainability-and-local-sourcing mission-driven operator, with itineraries built around partnerships with Kauai farmers, ranchers, restaurants, and food artisans.

The company's commercial infrastructure is intentionally lean: a WordPress content site hosting marketing, a blog, and farmer/restaurant guides, with all booking, payment, and gift-card fulfillment delegated to the FareHarbor third-party reservation platform. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, supplemented by organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X) and third-party discovery (TripAdvisor, Yelp). Pricing is uniformly transactional unit pricing with no disclosed recurring contracts beyond the Foodies Club membership and a 50% deposit requirement for private custom tours. The company functions as a one-island, owner-operated SMB with a small guide staff (e.g., Katherine Smithers) and no disclosed external investors, funding, or parent entity. Post-COVID, Tasting Kauai is the only remaining food tour operator of six that previously competed in the State of Hawaii, and it has roughly doubled its pre-pandemic tour availability.

Name

tasting kauai

Legal name

Tasting Kuai

Website

https://tastingkauai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tasting Kauai is a privately held, family-owned food tour and culinary experience operator on Kauai, Hawaii, serving tourists and visitor groups through guided walking/driving food tours, cooking classes, and farm experiences booked online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Tourism & Guided Food Tours

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Market & Culinary Culture Tours (THAJAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary Skills Workshops (Baking, Regional Cooking, Food Prep Skills) (THAJAKAE), Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH), Street Food Tours (THAJAGAC)

Keywords

• Guided food tours
• Culinary experiences
• Cooking classes
• Farm-to-table tours
• Hawaii tourism experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Kapaa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Guided Food Tours: Ticket-based tours across different regions of Kauai with multiple food stops at local establishments
2. Cooking Classes: Hands-on cooking classes including Monkeypod Jam classes at $125 per person
3. Private Custom Tours: Custom private food tours for groups requiring 50% deposit 3 weeks in advance
4. Farm and Food Tours: Specialized farm-focused tours with hands-on farm activities and farm-to-table lunch

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tasting Kauai operates guided food tours and culinary experiences across the island of Kauai, Hawaii, taking tourists to 3-6 local restaurants, food artisans, and farms per tour. Offerings include daily walking and driving food tours in different island regions, hands-on cooking classes at Monkeypod Jam, virtual cooking classes, a full-day Farm and Food Tour, private custom group tours, and a Kauai Foodies Club membership.

Product overview

Tasting Kauai operates as a food tour company offering a portfolio of guided culinary experiences across Kauai, Hawaii. The core offering consists of guided food tours at various island locations (Kilauea, Lihue, South Shore, Royal Coconut Coast, Hanapepe, Hanalei, Waimea) featuring local restaurants, food artisans, and Hawaiian cuisine. Additional products include hands-on cooking classes (in-person at Monkeypod Jam and online), the Farm and Food Tour focused on sustainability, Private Food Tours for custom group experiences, and the Kauai Foodies Club membership. Gift cards and farmers market tours round out the portfolio. The company positions itself as supporting local food sustainability by connecting visitors with local farmers, ranchers, and food producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Food Tours Educational walking and driving food tours across various Kauai locations including Kilauea, Lihue, South Shore, Royal Coconut Coast, Hanapepe, and Hanalei, featuring local restaurants, food artisans, and seasonal Hawaiian cuisine. Tours run on scheduled days throughout the week.
• Kilauea Food Tour Most popular tour operating Mondays and Tuesdays in Kilauea, featuring 3-5 stops at local eateries highlighting local ingredients in a lush tropical setting. Targeted at tourists seeking an introduction to Kauai food culture.
• Royal Coconut Coast Food Tour Three-hour tour through Kauai's East Side in Kapaa, featuring farm-to-table restaurants, local hidden gems, and establishments featured on the Food Network. Scheduled Thursdays.
• South Shore Food Tour Tour celebrating food inspired by Hawaii's diverse cultures with samples ranging from food trucks to fine dining, featuring local Japanese food, farmers, and food artisans. Scheduled Wednesdays (Koloa/Waimea).
• Downtown Lihue Food Tour Three-hour guided tour of Downtown Lihue highlighting agricultural connections, local restaurants, and chefs who source from the local community. Features a walking experience with arts and culture elements, culminating at a local brewery. Priced at $114 per person. Scheduled Saturdays.
• Waimea Walking Food Tour Two-and-a-half-hour walking tour of historic Waimea Town featuring traditional Hawaiian food and personal introductions to local chefs and business owners. Scheduled Wednesdays.
• Hanapepe Walking Food Tour Three-and-a-quarter-hour walking tour of Hanapepe town featuring history, culture, and modern cuisines, ending at the start of Hanapepe's weekly Friday Art Night. Scheduled Fridays.
• Hanalei Walking Food Tour Walking tour of Hanalei exploring the town's history, culture, and modern cuisines with seasonal tastings based on fresh ingredients and availability. Scheduled Sundays.
• Farm and Food Tour Full-day adventure on Kauai's north side focusing on sustainability goals, local food production, and responsible consumption with hands-on farm activities and a farm-to-table lunch. Priced at $150 per person and available by appointment only.
• Private Kauai Food Tour Customizable private food tour experience for groups of 5+, with options to choose island location, tour length, and food preferences. Custom pricing with a 50% deposit required 3 weeks in advance.
• Cooking Class with Monkeypod Jam Hands-on cooking class at Monkeypod Jam's Provisions Cottage focusing on traditional Hawaiian dishes including Kauai Style Musubi, Somen Salad, Ahi Poke Bowls or Kimchi Local Moco, and Mochi. Priced at $125 per person, 3-hour duration, minimum 1 person, maximum 12 people, ages 16+, vaccination required.
• Online Cooking Classes Virtual cooking classes partnered with Kauai chefs, including recipes such as Verde's Banana Nutella Churro Tortilla and Salty Wahine. Recipes and tools are prepared in advance. Priced at $20 per class.
• Kauai Foodies Club Year-round membership club offering ongoing sampling of Kauai's best flavors and exclusive access to food experiences.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase with customizable value for gifting Tasting Kauai food tour experiences, sold through the FareHarbor booking platform.
• Farmers Market Tours Guided tours of Kauai's farmers markets including Hanalei, Kapaa, Kilauea, Lihue, and Koloa markets, offering educational experiences about local produce and agriculture.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 food stops per tour on average
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FareHarborcoreTechnology or IntegrationBooking and reservation platform integrated into Tasting Kauai's website. Handles calendar availability, online payments, and gift card sales. FareHarbor is a Netherlands-based service provider for booking experiences.
• Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHVCB Member - Hawaii's official tourism marketing organization. Provides marketing support and visibility for member tourism businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hawaii Food Tours: Hawaii Food Tours operates guided food tours on Oahu and other Hawaiian islands, making it the closest direct peer to Tasting Kauai in the Hawaiian food tour category with nearly identical product offering, customer segment, and tour format.
• Secret Food Tours: Secret Food Tours is a global food tour operator with tours in multiple cities worldwide, including food tours in Honolulu; it competes in the same niche of multi-stop culinary walking tours with guides leading tourists through local restaurants and food artisans.
• Devour Food Tours: Devour Food Tours runs small-group food tours in major cities with a similar educational, locally-sourced focus, making it a direct comparable in product, target customer, and pricing structure to Tasting Kauai's guided food tour format.
• EatWith: EatWith is a global marketplace for in-home dining experiences and food tours led by local hosts; it overlaps with Tasting Kauai's culinary experience offering, particularly for the private/custom tour and cooking class segments.
• Urban Adventures: Urban Adventures (part of Intrepid Group) operates small-group guided tours including food-focused itineraries in cities worldwide, directly comparable in tour-format, group size, and culinary storytelling to Tasting Kauai.

Emerging players

• Withlocals: Withlocals is a marketplace connecting travelers with local hosts for food tours, private tours, and cooking experiences across many destinations; it offers a partial overlap with Tasting Kauai's private tour and cooking class products in a marketplace model.

Broad incumbents

• Viator: Viator, owned by TripAdvisor, is the largest global marketplace for tours and activities including food tours; it both competes with and distributes Hawaiian culinary tours such as those offered by Tasting Kauai through third-party resellers.
• GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a leading global tours and activities marketplace that lists and resells food tour experiences across many destinations, including Hawaii, positioning it as a broad competitor in the same end-customer segment as Tasting Kauai.
• Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is Airbnb's marketplace for bookable tours and activities including food tours and cooking classes; it competes with Tasting Kauai for traveler mindshare in the culinary-experience category on Kauai and elsewhere.

Regional players

• Magical Tours Hawaii: Magical Tours Hawaii is a Hawaii-based tour operator offering island tours and food-related experiences; it competes with Tasting Kauai in the broader Hawaiian guided tour market though with a different primary product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xmobile.twitter.com/tastingkauai
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TastingKauai
• Facebookm.facebook.com/tastingkauai
• Instagraminstagram.com/tastingkauai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tasting-kauai

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about tasting kauai