One of the biggest issues facing companies that use coffee and cocoa is sustainability. How can we, as users of a commodity, guarantee a consistent, quality supply of the materials that we use to make our products? There are myriad issues affecting supply-chain sustainability, but many are directly attributable to the welfare of the farmer or grower. This post is an attempt to illuminate a few of the challenges that cacao farmers face.

First of all, the farming itself is basic subsistence agriculture. Essentially, most of the grower’s income is derived from the cash crop that he is growing, and he must use the proceeds from the crop to cover all of the expenses of raising and harvesting the crop, as well as living expenses for a family. With cacao, the average crop is harvested on a plot that is approximately two hectares, or one acre. In West Africa, farmers receive between $30 and $100 per year for their harvests, representing up to 70 percent of their total annual income.  

A second problem the farmers face is a lack of knowledge and skills, preventing them from maximizing their crop yield. Without training and equipment, it is difficult to get the most from the land.  

A third problem is a lack of credit and financial resources that could enable farmers to purchase fertilizers that would increase yields and decrease crop loss. Since the average crop size is so small, even a slight increase in productivity would greatly increase overall income. 

Some of these issues can be addressed by getting farmers more money for their crops. Fair Trade purchasing is one way to generate more income for farmers by getting buyers to commit to paying a premium for a more consistent, higher-quality product. Although some argue about the model, Fair Trade purchases and practices are gaining popularity as customers, like us, are willing to spend more money for a commodity in the beliefs that the end product will be of a more consistent quality and that by paying more, the farmer will benefit. We just introduced two new Fair Trade cocoa mixes, and I hope that our customers see the benefit as well.  

Cocoa beans must be fermented and dried after being removed from cacao pods. This period of fermentation reduces the bitterness of the cocoa, and different fermentation processes affect the final flavor of the cocoa.

The damnable agent of necromancers and sorcerers. It is well to abstain from chocolate in order to avoid the familiarity and company of a nation so suspected of sorcery (Spain). 

Coffee and cocoa are two of the most widely traded agricultural commodities in the world. As commodities, cacao and coffee beans provide income to millions of growers around the world. Sold as cups of coffee and bars of chocolate, these products provide an income and livelihood for millions of people involved in the entire production process. Yet as with all commodities, these crops are subject to the whims of nature, and a bad harvest or an outbreak of disease materially affects all involved. 

Mapping the genomes of these two plants not only will allow scientists to better understand their genetic composition but will enable them to try to develop hybrids and strains that are pest- and disease-resistant, have a higher yield and potentially even taste better. 

The task is enormous — the cocoa genome alone has 400 million parts that have to be sequenced, and coffee beans contain more than 200,000 strands of DNA. But the payoff is huge. Reducing crop loss by creating disease-resistant strains of seeds means huge savings for growers, the majority of whom eke out a meager existence. Higher crop yields mean greater income and help reduce a cycle of poverty that haunts subsistence farmers.

On a sensory level, once the genomes are completed, variations in aroma, flavor and other characteristics can be studied and altered. For example, imagine growing a naturally decaffeinated coffee bean, as the caffeine genes are removed before planting. Or creating a stronger-tasting, more aromatic chocolate flavor from cacao beans.  

The possibilities are fascinating. Using the cocoa and coffee genomes properly means that the lives of growers around the world can be profoundly affected, and the flavor of your favorite cup of coffee or chocolate bar will taste even better.  

The chocolate chip cookie was discovered by accident when Ruth Wakefield (an American) was preparing chocolate cookies. She neglected to melt the lumps of chocolate first, thinking they would melt during baking but they didn’t. No one complained about the results.