Cocoa and Derivatives

The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao, meaning food of the gods) is the tree that gives rise to the fruit called cocoa. It is from the Malvaceae family and its origin is South America. It reaches between 4 to 8 meters in height and has two production phases: early (March to August) and harvest (September to February).

Cocoa is the main raw material for chocolate, made by grinding its dried almonds in an industrial or homemade process. Other cocoa by-products include its pulp, juice, jelly, fine spirits and ice cream.