How chocolate is made

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans which are found on the cocoa tree which needs very fertile soil, consistent rain and very hot weather for it to grow. The trees are grown in places like Ghana, Brazil, Ecuador, Togo, Papa New Guinea and Nigeria. The biggest exporter of cocoa beans Côte d'Ivoire, a country in West Africa which produces approximately 1.4 million tonnes of cocoa beans annually. The three main types of cocoa are Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. The cocoa pods are harvested during October, November and December. There are two methods of fermenting the beans which gives them their chocolatey flavour. The heap method is when the beans are piled up on top of a layer of banana leaves and then banana leaves are put on top as well, they are then left there to dry for about five days. When the beans are dried they are collected and sold by the farmers. The beans are then transported to the factory where they are cleaned and broken up in to small pieces, this process is called kibbling and the pieces are called 'nibs'. The pieces are ground by steel rollers until it becomes 'cocoa liquor'. This liqour is then cooled and molded ijto blocks and is known as unsweetened baking chocolate or bitter chocolate.
 This is a picture of cocoa beans.