CSSV has infested 592,000 hectares of Ghanaian cocoa farms. The Badnavirus, its mealybug vector, and Ghana's $230M cut-and-replant rehabilitation program — explained.
Cacao beans were the small-change money of the Aztec empire — priced in 1545 records, taxed as Codex Mendoza tribute, hauled by pochteca, counterfeited, and still circulating into the 1800s.
Compare certification and direct trade through dated prices, farmgate payments, verification and purchasing commitments. A label alone cannot prove farmer income.
What drove cocoa's 2024 price shock, how the market changed through August 2026, and why bean prices, farmer payments and chocolate prices differ.
A balanced guide to ceremonial cacao -- what makes it different from regular chocolate, how to prepare a cacao drink, what theobromine does, and how to evaluate quality.
A guide to Ghanaian and Ivorian cacao: quality controls, genetics, named chocolate makers, and what dated labour and forest studies actually show.
Dominican Republic cacao is the only origin free of major cacao disease. Covers flavor profile, Zorzal sourcing, farmer economics, and roasting advice.
Explore Bolivia's Beni wild cacao and Alto Beni producers, distinctive genetics, traceable chocolate examples, and what wild harvest does—and does not—tell you.
Understand Ecuadorian cacao: Nacional ancestry, the Arriba name, CCN-51, distinct growing and processing locations, and how to evaluate a particular harvest.
Explore Madagascar cacao's fruity reputation, Sambirano growing region, genetic diversity and the producer and processing choices behind each bar.
Why some Papua New Guinea cacao tastes smoky, how drying affects quality, and what makers should check before choosing a lot or adapting a roast.
Explore Peruvian cacao from Piura to the Marañón valley and Amazonian regions, with named chocolate examples, the Nacional story, and practical guidance for evaluating beans.
Explore Tanzanian cacao through Kokoa Kamili and Mababu: harvest-specific tasting notes, centralized fermentation, farmer payments, and practical formulation guidance.
An origin guide to Venezuelan cacao — four centuries of Chuao, the creamy Porcelana, Ocumare's consistency, and why Venezuela produces less than 1% of world cacao at extreme premiums.