A cocoa tree in the shade
of its "Mother Tree"

The Cocoa Tree

Young cocoa trees are particularly delicate and are often planted in the protective shade of other trees, affectionately referred to as “mothers of cocoa“ (including banana trees, palms, rubber trees, laurel etc.) Vulnerable to direct sunlight and wind, farmers plant an umbrella of taller trees to shelter their cocoa trees. Shade-grown cocoa trees can produce fruit for 75 to 100 years or more.

Characteristics

The cocoa tree (Theobroma Cacao L. of the Sterculiaceae family) is a smallish tree, 4 to 8 meters tall, although when shaded by large forest trees it may reach up to 10 meters in height. The stem is straight, the wood light and white and the bark thin, smooth and brownish. Originating from the Amazon basin, cocoa trees are tropical plants, requiring a hot, rainy climate with cultivation concentrated within a band of 20 degrees north or south of the Equator. Ideally, cocoa trees need rainfall between 1,150 and 2,500 mm per year and temperatures between 21°C and 32°C. They normally grow at an altitude of between 400 and 700 metres above sea level.

A cocoa tree with its
colourful fruit

Cocoa Tree Varieties

There are three varieties of cocoa trees:
Criollo - Which produce "fine and flavour" beans, mostly grown in parts of the Caribbean, West Indies, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, East Timor and Java.
Forestero - The most common variety, which accounts for 90% of the cocoa beans produced in the world. It is widely grown in West Africa and Brazil and has an inferior flavour.
Trinitario - A cross between Criollo and Forastero originally grown in Trinidad and subsequently planted around the world. The Trinitario is a compromise between the flavour of the Criollo and the robustness of the Forestero.