Climate change is coming for your sweet tooth

A classic Middle Earth crop capable of triggering geopolitical instability

https://www.cocoterra.com/chocolate-production-per-country/

NOTE: While cacao refers to cacao beans that have not been roasted, what is called cocoa is made of beans that have been roasted

This is a subject of particular interest for me because, about two decades ago, I did some consulting on this for candy industry players — some long-range scenario-based planning. The writing was on the wall back then, and the industry has had to progressively adapt since.

https://www.cocoterra.com/chocolate-production-per-country/

Cacao beans, of course, are the primary ingredient for making chocolate. They grow on trees that are highly susceptible to climactic changes. Historically, their sweet zone for farming is tied to the equator, as in, 20 degrees north and south. That’s why pretty much all the cacao grown lies in that narrow band as it traverses across the globe. West Africa’s Ivory Coast and Ghana, for example, alone supply more than half of global cacao production.

A quick primer:

Chocolate is made from the fermented and dried beans of the cacao tree, Theobroma Cacao. The tree is native to the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. Today, cacao is grown in a narrow belt 20 degrees north and south of the equator line in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. 

Cacao harvesting is hard manual work and very labor-intensive since every cacao pod has to be harvested by hand. Cacao Trees are also very sensitive to environmental conditions, so caring for them and collecting the fruit requires a lot of attention. The cocoa tree blooms and bears fruit throughout the year