Single Origin Chocolate: Brazil

Arguably the cradle of the theobroma tree, Brazil’s immense size and geographic location results in a rich history. The criollo beans (which are known for their white-toned interior) are said to stem from the northern part of the Amazon, where the species eventually migrated to Venezuela and more of Central America. The forastero beans (which are known to have a more purple-tone) is deemed to have migrated to the remaining areas in Brazil. Although there is a plant disease affecting the crop, ‘escoba de bruja,’ which translates to the ‘witch’s broom,’ which has reduced their production to about half of what is was at its prime (300,000-350,000 tons down to around 150,000 tons). The success of studying of the chocolate genome is a huge step in preventing further effect, but farmers are currently dealing with this issue. The trinitario variety is more disease-resistant, and due to such the theobroma trees across the nation have been grafted with these clones, which is now increasing in production, reducing the production of the forastero variety.

Reference: The Chocolate Museum. (2004). Choco-Story: Brazil.

Brazilian Chocolate