Cocoa Beans and Pulp in Pod [ 1 ] Cocoa Beans Drying in

Chocolate has become a part of everyday life throughout the world. Many enjoy different chocolate selections such as cake, ice cream, chocolate bars, etc. as desserts. Furthermore, chocolate has solidified itself as a common gift during many holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas, making it a highly lucrative industry, valued at over $80 billion a year. Europeans, specifically individuals from Switzerland, consume the greatest amount of chocolate. Europeans are said to consume an average of twenty-four pounds of chocolate annually per capita. Americans on the other hand are said to consume an average of eleven pounds of chocolate annually per capita [11]. It takes about twelve cocoa seeds to make one ounce of dark chocolate, while it takes about four cocoa seeds to make one ounce of milk chocolate [6].