Introduction of cocoa
The Latin name for cocoa literally means, “Food of the gods.” This treasured crop played a significant role in many ancient South American cultures. The Mayans used cocoa to create beverage that was shared during marriage ceremonies, providing one of the first known associations between chocolate and romance. From German chocolate cake to Swiss cocoa, today, people around the world enjoy chocolate in many different forms be it beverages or desserts, consuming more than 3 million tons of cocoa beans annually. During the course of its evolution, one thing has remained constant, chocolate has never lacked an avid following of people who love the “food of the gods.”
In total, more than 20 million people depend directly on cocoa for their livelihood. Once produced and processed into fermented dried merchantable cocoa, the beans are bought from farmers by one or more successive traders, transported then sold to grinders who make semi-manufactured products like liquor, butter, press cake, powder. These products are intended for chocolatiers or
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The production increment depends on a long time on an expansion of the planted areas. Limited forest and land availability impose a threat to promote increased cocoa cultivation whilst maintaining the current areas. Thus, the effectiveness of cocoa cultivation becomes a key factor to stabilise the areas planted when cocoa is in competition with other crops. The rising incomes in emerging markets such as China and India. Thanks to steadily rising incomes in these countries, chocolate has gone from being a rare luxury to an affordable treat and now it is becoming an everyday habit. Helping to drive the shift is an outburst of new products, as well as enhancements to transportation and refrigeration infrastructure that has eased the delivery of candy bars and