Harvested from the partially fermented seed of the cacao tree, Cocoa is the substance from which chocolate is made.
Cocoa bushes have a very limited geographical zone, which is about 10 degrees north and south of the Equator. The pod of a cocoa plant has a rough, leathery rind about 3 cm thick and is filled with a sweet pulp called 'baba de cacoa.'
Nearly 70% of the world cocoa crop is grown in West Africa and in a given year, around 3,000,000 tonnes of cocoa is grown in the world.
Cocoa products are traded on two world exchanges: London and New York. The New York commodities market is based on product mainly from South East Asia, while the London market is based on cocoa from West Africa. The market for cocoa is also the smallest soft commodity traded in the world.