Cocoa is cultivated in tropical climate zones with a high percentage of humidity, in the area between 26º north and south of the equator.
+14% (418 thousand tons) Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Colombia
+71% (2,848 thousand tons) Central Africa, Congo, Belize, Cameroon, and Togo.
+15% (606 thousand tons) South Asia
TYPES OF COCOA. DEPENDING ON THE REGION.
The major cocoa producers are not only the Hispanic American countries, as has always been explained in a generic and undetailed manner. If we take a quick look and see which other global cocoa producers exist, we will realize that on another continent is where there is more variety of cocoa and where the majority of the world’s production is concentrated.
This major cocoa producer is the African countries, such as Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, among others. Thus, if we focus on the cocoa that comes from Africa, it should be noted that it is also considered of great quality. In this case, it is a cocoa with very exclusive varieties, although the most basic differentiation attributed to it is based on whether it is criollo, forastero, or trinitario. If we turn our focus back to the Latin countries, it should be noted that it is where the best cocoa is concentrated, in terms of the best quality and the best plantations, which have been historically excellent and remain the most abundant today.
In Latin American countries, therefore, is where the finest and most aromatic cocoa is found, and it is also where the most nuances in terms of purity and variety can be found. On the other hand, in Asia and Indonesia, there are also cocoa plantations. In this case, the difference compared to other origins is that this one has a drying process using fire, rather than sun exposure. This technique, which makes it unique, is applied due to the climatic differences in the area. The fire drying process gives the cocoa a smoked finish, which is very interesting and different from the rest of the world’s cocoas.
