Cocoa Sugar

Cocoa residues on pottery in Ecuador suggest that the plant was consumed by humans as early as 5,000 years ago. It was widely cultivated more than 3,000 years ago by the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec peoples, who prepared a beverage using cocoa beans.

The Aztecs used cocoa to create a form of “hot chocolate” or as they called it “xocolatl” which means bitter water.

In 1847, British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons created the first chocolate bar molded from a paste made of sugar, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter.

Cocoa trees are found only in hot, rainy, tropical climates, 20 degrees north and south of the equator, just like vanilla.

It takes a cocoa tree five years to produce its first cocoa beans (pods).

Cocoa flowers can blossom on cacao trees all year round; however, the flowers will die within 24 hours if not pollinated.

Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cocoa (the second largest is Ghana and the third largest is Indonesia).

The Swiss consume more chocolate per capita than any other nation on earth: 22 pounds each compared to 11 pounds per person in the United States.

Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients. Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, it is one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet.

Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairments and improve verbal fluency.