1. GROWTH A cacao tree must be five years old before it begins to flower.

After five years pink flowers grow on the trees. The flowers become pods.

The pods are cylindrical and they are the size of a small pineapple (10-30 cm)

Inside the pods there are small, white seeds (20 – 40) – they are cocoa beans.

2. HARVEST Farmers use a machete to slice pods from the tree.

3. FERMENTATION The farmers open the pods and cover the cacao seeds with banana leaves. The seeds ferment.

In about a week the seeds turn a dark brown.

4. DRYING Farmers dry the cocoa beans in the sun for a week. The sun dries the seeds and reduce their size.

5. SHIPPING The farmers put the seeds into sacks and send them to the factory.

6. ROASTING At the factory, the cocoa beans are roasted from 30 minutes to two hours

7.CRACKING A special machine removes the shells of the beans

8. GRINDING Heavy metal discs grind the beans into a thick paste called “chocolate liquor”. Chocolate liquor is used to make chocolate. Some chocolate liquor is squeezed to remove cocoa butter and make cocoa powder

9. BLENDING Chocolate liquor + condensed milk+ sugar + extra cocoa butter= CHOCOLATE!

10. REFINING Giants rollers make the chocolate smooth

11. CONCHING The conching machine stirs the chocolate to make it creamy. It can take 6 days!

12. TEMPERING This machine heats and cools the chocolate

13. MOULDING Now chocolate is shaped into chocolate bars and packed.

There are different types of chocolate.