Pulling up to the Maui Gold Pineapple Company’s plant, one thought passes through the mind of everyone in the car: “People pay $65 for this?” Save for a few weatherworn warehouses and those waiting to embark on the tour, the barren parking lot is devoid of any real activity. A diminutive yellow bus, cheerfully emblazoned with “Pineapple Express” and advertising the Maui Pineapple Tour, is the only indication that the spot is, in fact, the correct patch of dirt in the miles of sugarcane.

The tour begins with a comically brief bus ride to the factory, where guide Stephen Potter explains the different devices that clean, select, and wax the pineapples. Next, the group is taken into the packaging, testing, and chilling facilities as they follow the fruits’ path from the plant to the market. However, because no pineapples were going through the plant at the time of this particular tour, visitors had to picture each step, which is undoubtedly less interesting than actually watching the process.

After a bumpy ride through fields of sugarcane, comparable to that of a mild roller coaster, the rows of leafy stalks change to stumpy pineapple crowns. As the bus drives, the age of the pineapple grows too. The group first sees pineapples that were planted yesterday to pineapple that are ready for harvest after about 18 to 24 months of being in the ground. On the field, a large conveyor belt carries the freshly picked pineapple over to a truck where workers place the pineapples, one down and one up, to prevent bruising. Each pallet they finish is about two to three tons in weight, and each crew picks about 25 tons of pineapple. The speed and efficiency with which they work is mesmerizing.

The next stop is in the midst of the year-old pineapple fields, where acres of vivid leaves shade mature golden fruit. Potter plucks off a ripe pineapple nonchalantly, twists off its crown, and then whips out a machete knife to slice off its skin, demonstrating the correct way to store a ripe pineapple in a fridge. Finally, without ceremony, the group begins the climax of the tour—sampling the famous Maui Gold pineapples.

The Maui Gold pineapple is significantly sweeter, juicier, and much less acidic; unfortunately, it only has a shelf life of 10 days, preventing almost anyone outside of Hawaii from tasting it and making this particular experience unique. Speaking mildly yet disparagingly of the Dole pineapples that consumers are used to, the tour guide cuts a piece of the fresh fruit for each of the visitors. The group savors a revolution of pineapple flavor, while Potter describes the differences between the Maui fruit and the typical pineapple sold in the continental United States.

The group benefits from the insights of pineapple connoisseur Potter while sampling many other varieties of pineapple—some acidic, some sweet, and one with the distinct taste of piña colada. Isolated from civilization by miles and miles of dusty fields and the gorgeous Hawaiian sky, the tour group is able to stay as long as it likes, while the guide affably continues to slice pineapples.

Although the tour list price is $65 for adults, group discounts are possible through third-party companies. As one of the few tours of working pineapple plantations in the United States, the Maui Pineapple Tour offers a unique, delicious, and informative experience. The tour guide is knowledgeable and pleasant, and the opportunity to sample the incomparable Gold Pineapple is fun and one-of-a-kind. Plus, who does not love complimentary pineapples to take home at the end of the tour?