How Chocolate is Made

The first cacao trees grew wild in the Amazon basins in north Brazil. Today cacao is cultivated in tropical climates. The cacao tree likes climates within 10 to 20 degrees of the Equator. The trees need warm, humid weather and loose rich soil. They also like shaded sunlight with little or no wind. The largest growers of the cacao tree are Brazil, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.







20 to 60 cacao beans are inside the pod







Three main varieties of cacao beans are grown today. The criollo bean is a native of Central America. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the cacao trees are criollo. These trees are small and hard to grow. The forastero cacao is much easier to grow and makes of 70 percent of all the cacao grown. The forastero is more bitter than the criollo. The third type of cacao bean is the trinitario. It is a cross between the criollo and the forastero. About twenty percent of the cacao beans produced are forastero.

Three main varieties of cacao beans are grown today. The criollo bean is a native of Central America. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the cacao trees are criollo. These trees are small and hard to grow. The forastero cacao is much easier to grow and makes of 70 percent of all the cacao grown. The forastero is more bitter than the criollo. The third type of cacao bean is the trinitario. It is a cross between the criollo and the forastero. About twenty percent of the cacao beans produced are forastero.

Although cacao trees grow about sixty feet in the wild, plantation owners trim them to about 20 feet so that workers can reach the pods at harvest time. Since the cacao tree prefers shade banana trees, rubber trees, or coconut palms are planted beside the cacao tree in the orchard.

The pods take five to six months to develop. When the pods ripen they turn from green or yellow to orange or red. Cacao trees can be harvested twice a year. Workers use a machete to cut the pods off the trees. They are placed on banana leaves in large wooden boxes. They are left to ferment for several days. Criollo beans usually ferment for two to three days while forastero and trinitario beans fervent three to seven days. During fermentation the beans become darker and wrinkled and lose their bitter taste.

After fermentation the beans are sun-dried for several days. They are then packed in burlap sacks and shipped to factories. When the beans arrive at the chocolate factory they are sorted and cleaned. The beans are roasted at 250 to 350° degrees for thirty minutes to two hours depending on the type of bean. They are roasted in large revolving drums. The cacao beans give off a wonderful aroma during the roasting process.

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110012/made/made.htm