Explanation Once the fermentation process is complete, the beans

are spread out so they can dry naturally in the

sun. The dried beans are then shipped to

chocolate manufacturers all over the world.

Many people eat chocolate when they are happy, sad or to celebrate special Once they have arrived, the beans are roasted. This

occasions throughout the calendar year. It is an important part of people’s lives intensifies the taste of the final chocolate. When the cacao pods

across the world and many people’s favourite treat, but how is it made? Read on to beans are ready, they are removed from their shells and placed into a machine. The machine

find out. grinds the beans into a paste called chocolate liquor.

It all begins in countries south of the equator. Cacao trees produce After that, the chocolate paste goes into another machine called a ‘cocoa press’. This separates

large, football-shaped fruit pods called cacao pods. First, the pods the fat from the cacao bean. Eventually, only a fine, powdery substance (which we know as

are harvested by being chopped down with machetes. The pods cocoa powder) is left behind. Certain substances, like milk, sugar and oil, are then added to

are then collected in baskets and transported to be broken open. turn the powder into chocolate. Each business has its own secret recipe!

The pods are opened using a machete, or farmers may repeatedly bang the The final process of making chocolate is

pod on a rock or tree using lots of pressure. Inside the pod, there are called conching. This is when the

between 20 to 50 cream-coloured beans within a sweet pulp. chocolate is mixed in a large

machine until it reaches the desired a chocolate bar

Next, the cacao beans are removed from the pod and are placed
consistency. Finally, the chocolate is poured into moulds, left to cool and then packaged ready
in buckets to begin the fermentation process. The inner membrane
to sell.
and husk are discarded. A young cacao tree

Did you know?

Did you know?
We have the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica to thank for chocolate. The cacao tree had a very
A farmer can harvest around 1,500 pods per day, which is enough to produce 55kg of chocolate.
important place in Maya society because to them, cacao beans were more valuable than gold or
It takes another worker a full day to open the pods.
medicine! The beans were used as currency and crushed to make a bitter drink. Although the

ancient Maya didn’t eat chocolate in the way we do today, the process of preparing the cacao
Fermentation is a process that develops the beans’ natural flavour. This takes between two and
bean remains almost the same as thousands of years ago.
eight days depending on the variety of cacao.

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