The cacao tree, which is known as the source of chocolate candies and drinks, is an evergreen tree of the Sycamore family, which grows 12 to 15 meters tall and its fruit is called cacao. Do you know so what is the average life span of a cacao tree? Well, It's about 25-30 years, up to 40 years. Cacao trees take three years to bloom, and then four to five years to bear fruit. It takes ten years for a single cacao tree to get mature. The mature cacao tree ripens twice a year, mainly from October to December. The flowers grow directly on the trunk or main branches, and only a few of the hundred thousand flowers will grow to have fruit. The fruit also grows directly on the trunk, making the cacao tree a very peculiar looking plant. Each fruit of the cacao tree can reach 30cm and weighs 300-500g. They have a tough yellow or red shell with 40-50 cacao seeds hidden inside a slimy pulp.
Fresh cocoa beans are a bit bitter and sour, and they look brown after fermentation, similar to the familiar appearance of chocolate beans. Each cacao tree only harvests 1-2,000 grams of dried beans a year. After fermentation and drying, they are transported to chocolate factories for processing as raw materials.
Cocoa beans are grown in the tropics on both sides of the equator and within 20 degrees north and south latitude. More concentrated in West Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon. African cocoa beans has 65% of the world's total cocoa content, the rest area are in Latin America to Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico,etc.
Cocoa production has increased rapidly in Asia in recent years, led by Malaysia and Indonesia. Cacao trees are also grown in The southern provinces of Hainan and Yunnan in China. Cacao beans are with different flavors depending on the different origins, some with a fruity flavor, others with a smoky flavor.
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