Where Does Chocolate Come From? 1 Most Americans consume chocolate frequently, if not daily. In fact, studies indicate that Americans eat approximately 100 pounds of chocolate each second. People eat chocolate frequently, and in various forms, from cocoa powder when they bake brownies, to candies when they watch movies, to chocolate chip cookies when they pack school lunches. Given the amount of chocolate Americans consume, it is worthwhile to ask where it comes from and how it is made. 2 Amazingly, making chocolate is a highly complicated, multi–step process that starts with hand–picked bean pods and ends with processed chocolate that comes in a multitude of shapes and sizes. Although various chocolate producers have different and sometimes secret recipes for their end products, the basic production is universal. The basic process actually has not changed significantly since the time of the Mayans, and each step is crucial to ending up with the rich chocolate taste. 3 It all starts with a humble cacao tree. Nearly 75% of the world's cacao trees used for chocolate production are in Africa, with the remainder mostly in Asia. The name cacao fittingly means "food of the gods." These trees, which grow predominately in tropical climates, thrive in shaded areas and look similar to apple trees. They have big, broad leaves, colorful pink and white flowers, and the highly–sought after seed pods. Each pod can hold from 20–40 beans and each tree can be harvested twice per year on average. These pods are the first step toward making chocolate. Workers harvest the cacao pods by hand, careful not to damage the branches or flowers on the tree. Once the pods are cut down, they are broken by hand to release the purple seeds and the white pulp that surrounds them. 4 Fermentation is the next step. The seeds and the pulp are kept together and placed either in a box with holes for draining or in a huge pile. Regardless of the method, in this step the pulp drains away and leaves the fermented seeds ready for the next step. This pro