Theobroma Cacao (The Chocolate Tree)

tropical plants · chocolate · farming

A tropical evergreen. Theobroma cacao is a small tree that lives in warm, tropical places and keeps its leaves year-round, just like many rainforest trees do.

Beans become chocolate. Inside the tree's pods are seeds called cocoa beans, and when they're dried and fermented, they transform into the ingredient that makes chocolate, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter.

From Americas to Africa. Although cacao trees originally grew wild in Central and South America, today Côte d'Ivoire (a country in West Africa) is the world's biggest producer of cocoa beans.

A farming superstar. Millions of farmers around the world grow cacao trees because chocolate is so popular and valuable, making it one of the most important crops on Earth.

Part of the mallow family. Cacao belongs to the Malvaceae family, which also includes plants like okra and hibiscus.