These large pods are green when young, but change to a golden-yellow when ripe. Once picked, the pods are broken open and the beans, formed on a stem and covered in sweet, creamy oil, are scooped out. The seeds are left to ferment and then to dry in the sun. During this process, the original pale creamy colour turns dark brown. It is then ready to manufacture into cocoa butter or chocolate.
Nothing goes to waste from the cocoa plant.
The cocoa husk is used for fertiliser, and also as the ingredient of a specialist soap. Cocoa shell is used for garden mulch to control weeds and repel slugs. When Europeans first tried chocolatl , they found it loathsome and unpleasant. But the name and taste caught on. In the UK today, we spend 3 billion on chocolate every year.