Things You Might Not Know About Cocoa

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Whenever we hear or read the word Cocoa, chocolate is the first thing that comes to our mind. Almost everyone knows that chocolate comes from cocoa, but cocoa itself is much more than just chocolate. Cocoa comes from the fruit of the cocoa tree. The seeds produced by the cocoa trees are known as cocoa beans.

How is cocoa grown?

Cocoa is harvested over the months in different intervals as the cocoa pods on any given tree ripen at various times. The cocoa's harvesting time might differ according to the region of origin depending on the climate conditions and variety of cocoa.

Where is cocoa produced?

Most of the world's cocoa comes from major parts of Africa. More than 50% of the cocoa is harvested in West Africa, and the remaining comes from various parts of the world. Countries like Indonesia, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana are the major cocoa beans supplier and are mainly responsible for fulfilling their cocoa needs. Cocoa production requires extremely humid conditions to thrive, so it's not naturally possible for cocoa production to be done in other parts of the world.

Cocoa to Chocolate

After the cocoa production takes around 5 years to be harvested, the pods are then cut open by hand. The seeds and pulps of cocoa are piled together and left for about a week for fermentation. The fermentation process makes the cocoa change its color, and then the beans are left to be dried naturally or artificially. Once they are dried, they are then ready to be processed to make chocolate.

Prior to the grinding process, cocoa beans are roasted, and their shells are later removed. Cocoa beans are then processed into a liquid form, and this liquid form is then processed into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Once the process is over, the cocoa is ready to make chocolates of all kinds. America and Europe are the leading producers and suppliers around the world.