Theobroma cacao

The truth is I'm not sure I ever found exactly the answers I was looking for. So, as I endeavor to add a bit of learning into this Christmas for my boys, I went straight to a professional – Bryan Graham, the chocolatier who founded Fruition Chocolate (part of the team behind the Chocolate Space Invaders). "When I was a child, I had no idea where chocolate came from," Graham told Wired.com. "I certainly never suspected that it came from a tree, otherwise I probably would have lumped it into the category

form of slavery. Both children and adults in Africa are sold and bought to work on these plantations under strict rule, long hours, and malnutrition. This has put many Africans at risk all for our heavenly chocolate. Attention needs to be brought to cacao plantation slavery because the plantations are dangerous and lead to a lot of deaths of innocent people, slavery should’ve been done with a while ago, and conditions are unsafe and unhealthy. These things really contribute to the reason why this cruelty

Chocolate is a beautiful medium of art that many have tried to perfect. Those individuals who have succeeded, have taken this medium to new and greater heights. One of these men is Jacques Torres of Bandol, France. He’s worked his craft from a young age and has rightfully earned the nickname “Mr. Chocolate”. He led a normal childhood, worked hard from a young age, found success in more then just the kitchen, but on tv and in literature as well, and finally is just enjoying his life and career under

“The Dark Side of Chocolate” is a documentary that explores the underlying issues prevalent in the cocoa trade. For most first world countries chocolate is seen as an accessible treat, however in third world countries, the production of cocoa creates social issues that must be eliminated. Cocoa trade is one of the largest industries in West African countries, but the issues that arise from such trade do more harm than good. The cocoa plantations are trafficking humans to work on their plantations

By Darren Francis 10/22/2010 Cocoa Production in West Africa This map shows the main cocoa production areas in West Africa. The patterns shows on this map indicate that the Southern coastline of West Africa is a major cocoa bean producing area. The pattern starts at Sierra Leone and follows the coastline down to Cameroon. Some exception to this pattern is in Nigeria, in the area of Port Harcourt there is no production and in Benin there is also no production. The brighter orange as indicated

The Broken Dream: The Decline of the Chocolate Industry in Ghana Chocolate, as one of the most popular sweets around the world, not only satisfies people’s taste, but also provides a means of living for many countries. Ghana is an African country that lived upon its cocoa industry. Cocoa tree was introduced to the Ghana accidentally by a man named Tetteh Quarshie after his trip to Spain in the late nineteenth century (Off 96-97). Because of the increasing international demand for chocolate, the

Although discovered by A. Woskresensky in 1841, and synthesized by E. Fischer in 1882, theobromine can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs. With seven carbon, eight hydrogen, four nitrogen, and two oxygen atoms, theobromine’s chemical formula is C7H8N4O2, and can be found in the beans of the cocoa plant, tea leaves, or kola nuts. From the hulls of the cocoa beans, theobromine can be extracted, coming out to be a white powder. The largest supply of these cocoa beans, more than

present day Mexico in about 1900 B.C. The Mesoamericans who discovered the cacao plant would ferment, roast, and then grind up the cacao beans and make it into a paste. Then they would add water, vanilla, honey, chili powder and other spices and brew it to become a frothy beverage. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations thought chocolate to be a mood enhancer and that it gave them strong spiritual powers. The Mayans worshipped god the cacao and felt chocolate was for rulers, warriors, priests, and noblemen at

plantations are specifically mentioned because chocolate is such a large industry and many kids, particularly in tropical African countries, are affected by child labor. In Côte d’Ivoire alone, around 15,000 children are slaves working on chocolate, or cacao, plantations. (american.edu) This problem is concerning because not only is it unethical, but child labor and, therefore, child slavery, violates basic human rights. (foodispower.org) Also, child labor in the chocolate industry often leads to human

After being a detective for eighteen years, it was a little odd to think that I was currently joining an anti chocolate thieving association (also known as ACTA). After the mass robberies of chocolate, the candy that everybody loves are now under the risk of extinction. The chocolate robberies had left the candy companies in shambles, leaving everyone in confusion. The companies tried to lie, but I was on the case. I found out that there was an organization against these kind of robberies. Therefore