Chocolate Facts
Chocolate is the most craved food in the United States. Americans consume about 11.7 lbs of chocolate per person annually. Swiss citizens consume the most - 22.4 lbs per person per year.
90% of the world's cacao is grown by 5-6 million family farmers.
Worldwide production amounts to about 3 million tons. Organic cacao
accounts for only a fraction of this. Purchasing organic chocolate will
increase this important frontier of sustainability.
Cacao
grows within 20 degrees of the equator, and does best when nurtured
under the natural canopy of the rainforest. Africa produces 70% of the
world's crop, followed by Latin America and Southeast Asia.
There are three main varieties of cacao
Criollo - Highly prized & rare, thin light colored pods, wonderful aromas.
Forastero - More plentiful, thick pods, pungent flavor.
Trinitario - A cross of Criollo and Forestero, diverse range of
characteristics, Good, aromatic flavor and easily grown.
Cacao pods grow out of the cacao tree's stem and branches, from fragile flowers pollinated by rainforest insects. Cacao pods hold about 50 beans (really seeds). Around 200 beans make 1 pound of chocolate.
There are two main harvests per year, though some amount of cacao can be harvested year round.
Once harvested, the cacao bean and pulp are scooped from the pod and allowed to ferment for about 3-5 days. After this, the beans are dried, roasted, deshelled (winnowing) and ground into a fine paste called chocolate liquor. This is mixed with sweeteners and sometimes milk or other ingredients to make finished products. Click to learn more about types of chocolate, such as milk, dark and white.
Pests and disease destroy about 25% of the world's cacao each year. Organic methods successfully combat these.