Chocolate growing, production and consumption

The majority of chocolate is manufactured on the Ivory Coast and about 40% percent of cocoa beans are grown there.



However, cocoa is also grown in the following countries:



-Hawaii
-the Caribbean
-Venezuela
-Indonesia
-Vietnam
-Brazil
-Dominican Republic
-Ecuador
-Guatemala
-Panama
-Papua New Guinea
-Ghana
-Bahia
-Madagascar
-Sri Lanka

Much of the world's cocoa is grown in small, family farms with only a few hundred trees. The growth of chocolate requires a warm, damp climate and a cover of larger trees. The Cacao tree needs shade, and works best when planted under taller trees such as rosewood, teak, spice or cashews. Each tree only produces around 2 pounds of beans a year, and trees don't begin to produce fruit until they reach five or six years of age.

there are 18 large chocolate manufacturers in Switzerland alone, and Switzerland only produces 5% of the world's chocolate!
Other countries where chocolate is made include:
-Italy
-France
-Belgium
-Australia
-Turkey-
Germany
-New Zealand
-Spain
-United Kingdom
-America

Whilst chocolate is farmed on the equator, people living in equatorial regions eat very little of it compared to those living in the rest of the world. This could be because it is the wealthier countries that can afford to consume the most, or because chocolate is not appealing in such hot climates.