A bit of history…

The first cocoa trees were cultivated by Mesoamerican Indians (Mayans and afterwards Aztecs) in Mexico around 2500 BC. Europeans later exported the trees and established plantations in Venezuela, Ecuador and Brazil. The consumption of cocoa in Europe continued to grow, therefore, in the 19th century, more plantations were based in Asia and Africa, in particular, on the Ivory Coast, which remains the biggest exporter of cocoa in the world.

A bit of geography…

Today, cocoa is grown in 45 countries around the world. All of these countries are situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, because they need a hot, humid climate. Cocoa trees are very sensitive to cold and grow only in altitudes from 0 to 800 meters above sea level. On the other hand, they do not tolerate direct sunlight, therefore, they need shade from larger trees. In the wild, cocoa trees can grow to a height of 10 meters, but cultivated varieties do not exceed 3 meters.

How does cocoa grow?

Cocoa is obtained from cocoa pods, which grow directly on the trunk of the tree. Pods may contain 16 to 60 seeds and they are harvested twice a year. Raw cocoa beans are very bitter, which is, in fact, to our advantage, because monkeys do not like to eat them!