FOOD NEWS
The Country That Supplies Most Of The World's Cocoa
By Julia Mullaney
The production and harvesting of cocoa fuels millions of chocolate lovers around the world, and most of it comes from the Ivory Coast in Africa (also known as Côte d'Ivoire).
Ivory Coast produces over two million metric tons of cocoa each year. The crops are harvested twice a year: October through February and May through August.
Cocoa plants need consistently warm temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, plenty of moisture, and frequent rainfall, all of which are found in Ivory Coast's climate.
Without these specific weather conditions, cacao can't grow well, which is why only countries within about 20 degrees longitude of the equator have ideal conditions for cocoa.
So, it's no surprise that the top 5 producers of cocoa are all tropical countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Cameroon.