How does the weather impact chocolate?

It is World Chocolate Day! An excuse to fill up on sweet treats, but did you know that the weather can affect how chocolate tastes?

We are not suggesting that a bar of chocolate tastes better on a rainy day (or maybe it does), but rather that weather conditions as the cocoa is grown to produce our favorite bars can make a big difference.

Cocoa is gathered from cacao trees which grow predominantly around the equator meaning countries capable of producing this vital ingredient are few in number.

These trees, like many plants, are impacted by weather. For example, during dry spells with little rainfall cocoa beans are smaller and contain higher concentrations of copper, iron, and nitrogen. Research from the University of Gottingen also suggests this cocoa contains higher antioxidant content, a sign of stress.

Dry spells also produce smaller harvests. According to Climate-smart Cocoa, if less than 47 inches of rain falls over the cocoa growing area each year the soil will lack the necessary water levels to produce enough cocoa to meet the world’s demands.

Today is not a day to consider the future of chocolate bit it is a day to enjoy it. Did you know that the first ever wrapped chocolate bar on the market was produced by the Hershey Company in 1900 and remains on sale today. Far earlier than this, evidence suggests that hot chocolate has been consumed since the 1500s although it took until 1847 for the first actual bar, unwrapped, to be released.

Mature cocoa trees produce around 2,500 beans each, and that with over one and a half million cacao farms in West Africa the region produces around 70 percent of the world’s supply.

So grab your favorite milk, dark, white, or even vegan chocolate bar and celebrate the day.