From Bean to Bar: Cacao Agriculture

Chocolate manufacturing bears several similarities to winemaking: like wine, chocolate starts out as an agricultural product. Like winemaking, chocolate production requires fermentation and uses only a few ingredients; and in both winemaking and chocolate making, these few ingredients can produce an infinite range of products with unique flavor nuances, characteristics, and qualities, from the pedestrian to the exquisite. The ultimate outcome is dependent on the raw materials used and, to a great extent, the skill of the producer.