COCOA CULTURE: THE COCOA TREE, THE TREE WITH MAGIC BEANS
Cocoa production is a very long and fascinating process, which we owe to a tree called the cocoa tree. This tropical species must be very well maintained in order to produce these famous cocoa beans that we then transform into chocolate. Cocoa cultivation involves a whole process , which includes the maturation of several tons of cocoa beans. We explain everything to you in this article.
Cocoa cultivation: where does chocolate come from?
Do you know where chocolate comes from? This gourmet delicacy, which can be enjoyed in many different ways, comes to us at the base of cocoa, produced by a tree: the cocoa tree, or theobroma cacao . This tree of about ten meters, native to Central and tropical America, bears both its flowers and its fruits, the pods , on its branches and trunk. Domesticated more than 3,000 years ago, the cocoa tree has crossed the centuries and has today become the world source of our tastiest delicacies. Its flowers, which grow in small bouquets, are pollinated by midges: only 1% of them will become pods containing several dozen cocoa beans, which are then harvested to make chocolate.
A cocoa tree lives between 30 and 50 years, its fruits appear after 5 years and it can produce up to 350 kg per year. However, today, the cocoa tree is threatened with extinction due to deforestation and pollution.
Cocoa cultivation: what are the ideal conditions?
A climatic balance between heat and rain
For cocoa to be grown properly, several conditions are necessary for it to develop in a healthy climate and for it to produce its most beautiful fruits.
Firstly, the cocoa tree must absolutely grow in a humid climate with constant heat : the optimum temperature for the cocoa tree to grow is 25°C , and the rains must be fairly abundant given its water requirements.
This tree also requires shade , hence the fact that it is often found under trees taller than itself.
For all these reasons, the cocoa tree is found in particular in tropical regions, notably in the Amazon, but also in African countries such as the Ivory Coast .
Threats to the cocoa tree despite good climatic balance
Even if all the climatic conditions are met for the proper development of your cocoa tree, you must nevertheless remain vigilant regarding parasites that can infest the plant and thus cause diseases , in particular the swollen cocoa shoot virus, crown gall, anthracnose and many others.
Cocoa cultivation: what are the different stages?
Cocoa plantation
If you want to become a cocoa producer, you should know that planting a cocoa tree can be done all year round. You will just have to decide whether to grow it in a greenhouse or outdoors: note that it is impossible to grow a cocoa tree outside a greenhouse if you do not live in an environment that meets the conditions mentioned above. You will have to find a place that is both bright and shaded, to prevent the heat of the sun's rays from damaging your tree. In a greenhouse as well as outdoors, the best solution would therefore be to plant it under other species of taller trees , without neglecting the use of good nutritious soil that retains moisture well for the tree's soil.
Cocoa tree maintenance
The cocoa tree must be watered as regularly as possible ; it is important that the soil in which it grows is not dry. In a greenhouse, it is essential to create a tropical atmosphere so that the cocoa tree feels at home in its environment: this is done in particular by spraying the foliage. A humid atmosphere is crucial in the development of the cocoa tree.
The cocoa harvest
The cocoa harvest only occurs after 5 years. Its thousands of flowers will produce only a few pods (about 80 per year), inside which there are beans surrounded by mucilage , a sweet, white pulp.
The most favorable periods for the maturation of the pods are November-March and May-July. It is once the pods change color, that is to say when they become yellow or red , that the harvest takes place.
Then, the chocolate production process is far from over. The beans are extracted from the pods and must ferment for a week, in order to develop the aromas of the cocoa. Then, the cocoa beans must be dried in the sun or under infrared radiation for up to two weeks: it is only after this stage that the cocoa can be transformed, artisanally or industrially, into chocolate.
