The cacao trees mature at five years and begin to flower on the trunk. The flowers are pollinated by midges, a small fly.

Medically reviewed by Aviv Joshua, MS Cacao is made from the beans of the Theobroma cacao evergreen tree. The tree belongs to the Malvaceae family, and the beans can be used to make edible products, ...

It makes a fruit called cacao beans. Raw beans can be crushed into cacao powder. But if the beans are roasted first, they become cocoa powder. Unroasted cacao powder is more bitter than cocoa powder.

"Cocoa fermentation is a critical process in the production of chocolate, transforming raw cocoa beans into a form suitable for chocolate making," says Sarin Partrick, chief executive of India Cocoa.

Cacao beans held great prominence in the daily lives of Mesoamerican Indians. According to the Mayan and Mexica religions, cacao had divine origins as the god Quetzalcoatl discovered cacao.

Cocoa was the best performing commodity in 2024, outpacing even bitcon, as prices surged 132 percent, hitting a record high of ...