Chocolate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chocolate - Research Paper Example It played an essential role in the Aztec and Maya religious and royal events. Cocoa seeds in native America were used as an offering to deities, as well as serving chocolate drinks in sacred occasions. The American settlers from Europe fattened and sweetened it through the addition of milk and refined sugar, two ingredients that were not known to the Native Americans. In contrast, they did not infuse it into their diet, although, later, it was integrated into their desserts and sweets (Drowne & Patrick 27). It was in the 18th century that John Cadbury came up with the process of emulsification to create solid chocolate, which was the beginning of the modern chocolate bar. While cocoa was, originally from the Americas, West Africa, today, produces more than 65% of the cocoa in the world, half of which is planted in Cote divorce. The chocolate industry in the United States forms part of the largest food and beverage companies. They are in charge of the manufacture of cacao beans, the s ale of raw chocolate, and the manufacture of other chocolate related products (Allen 67). The chocolate industry has undergone numerous changes in both production and market trends over the years, which affect the industry in either a positive and negative manner. Production Based on the cocoa grinding reports released for cocoa traders, which was produced by the NCA in cooperation with the New York Board of trade, the grinding in the first quarter amounted to 119,022 metric tons - a decrease of 4.04 percent (5,006 mt) over 2011. The Unites States market on chocolate or candy stands in a shaky position. In North America, there has been a 2% decrease since quarter 3 in 2011 (124,621 metric tons) (Taylor & Akila 43). There is a rather decreased demand for chocolate in the market currently which means the producers need to correct where the problem lies. Cocoa, which originated in South America, was first planted in the US state of Hawaii by William Hillenbrand, a German physician, in 1850. While cocoa was long considered, as a crop to be grown in the plantations, the biggest challenge in the American market has been making money from it (Taylor & Akila 50). The plant is suited to the climate in Hawaii, although it is tricky to grow, requiring a lot of expertise in chocolate processing. Competition with low-cost producers in South America, Africa, and other countries is not easy because Hawaii has high costs of labor and land. However, Hawaii cocoa has been proven as a gourmet product for which a buyer can pay premium prices. Local cocoa farmers can also gain added value through the creation of farm tours around the popularly romanticized product (Taylor & Akila 50). Currently, dried cocoa seed sales, also referred to as cocoa beans, is estimated at a cost of $200,000 every year based on production per acre estimated for fifty acres, as well as a price of $2.47 dry bean price a pound (Taylor & Akila 52). Much higher sales can be derived by those planters who proc ess their product into chocolate at prices of approximately $40 a pound for retail. Industry growth, in the absence of expansion on a plantation scale, over the last few years, has been from small farms with a few of these farms having processing plants for their cocoa. Advances over the last ten years have increased the economic sense in the processing of chocolate from cocoa on a small scale sans specialized