
Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
More than a third of the world's cocoa is grown in the Ivory Coast; the cocoa industry directly supports about 3.5 million people in the West African country.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Cocoa pods grow straight from the trunk of the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, or "food of the gods." One tree produces between 20 and 30 pods a year, each containing 20 to 50 almond-sized cocoa beans.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Workers harvest the pods and split them open with machetes, removing the cocoa beans, which are coated in a white fruity pulp.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
The pulp is left to ferment over several days, warming the beans and causing them to lose their bitter flavor; they are then dried out in the sun.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Cocoa farmers, many of whom work on small family-run plantations of just a few hectares, then take their beans to the local market.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
The beans are bought by traders or middle-men who sell them to wholesalers; the wholesalers sell them on in bulk to large cocoa companies.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
This means that the farmers see only a tiny proportion of the profits from the finished chocolate sold in shops around the world.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
A worker checks the condition of cocoa beans to make sure they are free of mold, insect damage and disease.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
The beans are checked and graded according to quality and condition before being packed ready for shipping.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Sacks of beans are stored in warehouses in the Ivory Coast, before being shipped to chocolate makers around the world.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Ships loaded with their cargoes of cocoa beans, bound for chocolate manufacturers in Europe and the U.S.

Cocoa-nomics: From bean to bar —
Once they arrive at their destination, the beans are processed into nibs, cocoa liquor and cocoa butter, before being made into the chocolate we buy in stores around the world.