Cocoa Beans

Cocoa beans are a prime resource for making chocolate. The beans are grown on trees called cacao trees. Without cocoa beans, there probably wouldn't be any chocolate at all!

Where are they grown?

Cocoa beans are grown in tropical climates. The first cocoa beans were grown in north Brazil. Cocoa trees need to be grown in places close to the Equator, for warmth. They need good soil, like most plants, and warm, humid weather to survive. Although cocoa beans are grown in many places, the places that grow the most cocoa beans are Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria.

How big do cacao trees grow?

These trees have to grow pretty big to supply enough beans for chocolate companies. In the wild, cacao trees can grow up to 60 feet! But when growing cacao trees for their beans, cacao trees are only grown at 20 feet so that the workers can reach them and pick off the beans.

How are cocoa beans grown?

The cocoa beans start off as green or yellow  pods.As the pods start to ripen, they turn orange or red in color. Using a sharp knife, the workers cut the pods off of the trees. The pods are placed on banana leaves in wooden crates. Then they are left there  to  ferment for a few days. Different cocoa beans ferment for a different number of days. After fermenting, the beans will become wrinkled, and the color will be much darker. The taste will also become less bitter, allowing for better tasting chocolate.

What types of cocoa beans are there?

There are three main types of cocoa beans. One type is the forastero cocoa bean. The forastero bean is the most widely grown cocoa bean in the world. It is the easiest type of cocoa bean to grow. The forastero bean has quite a bitter taste. the forastero bean takes about 3-7 days to ferment.

Another type of cocoa bean is the criollo cocoa bean. Around 15% of cocoa beans being grown today are criollo beans. The criollo bean trees are quite hard to grow, so this is probably why it is grown less compared to easier to grow forastero bean. The criollo bean takes less time to ferment than the other two main types of cocoa beans. It only take 2-3 days to ferment.

The last main type of cocoa bean is the trinitario bean. About 20% of the cocoa beans being grown today are trinitario beans. The trinitario bean is a cross between the forastero and criollo beans. Like the forastero bean, the trinitario cocoa bean takes about 3-7 days to ferment. This bean combines the qualities of both the other beans.

Other than chocolate, are there any other uses for cocoa beans?

Although chocolate is the most common way to use cocoa beans, the beans can also be used for:
Coffee
Eaten raw for flavanoids
Cocoa butter for pharmaceuticals
Cosmetics
Soap
Removing scars
..and there are many other uses for cocoa beans!