Understanding Cocoa

Where Does Cocoa Come From? A Journey Through the Plantations

Chocolate begins long before the tablet. Its story takes root in tropical plantations, often located thousands of kilometers from where the chocolate is made. To truly understand fine chocolate, we must go back to its source: the cocoa bean, carefully cultivated by thousands of growers around the world.

A Tropical Origin

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is a delicate species that grows only in tropical regions, between 20° North and 20° South,an area known as the “cocoa belt.” It is found primarily in:

  • West Africa: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau

  • Central Africa : Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe

  • East and Southern Africa : Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Mozambique

  • Latin America: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia

  • Caribbean: Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, Cuba

  • Southeast Asia : Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Timor-Leste, Malaysia

  • Oceania: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia

Each region produces beans with a unique flavor profile, shaped by the soil, climate, altitude, and local agricultural practices.

A Demanding Crop

Cacao trees require rich soil, shade, humidity, and constant care. They bear pods year-round, but their harvesting, fermentation, and drying demand meticulous attention.

The quality of the beans depends on:

  • the variety (Criollo, Trinitario, Nacional, etc.),

  • the fermentation (usually in wooden boxes for 4 to 7 days, sometimes longer),

  • the drying (ideally sun-dried on raised beds or mats).

Improper fermentation or poor drying can ruin even the most promising beans.

Orfève’s Approach

Behind every bean is a grower.

Often working small family plots, these producers pass down ancestral knowledge, using limited resources. For cocoa to reach its full potential, it needs more than just a good terroir,it requires that the people who cultivate it are respected, valued, and fairly compensated.

At Orfève, we select our beans in close collaboration with expert sourcers who know the field intimately. Their role is to build strong bridges between growers and makers. Thanks to their expertise, we work only with trusted partners who ferment and dry their beans on site, following strict quality protocols and ensuring full traceability.

Flavor Begins on the Farm

A great chocolate starts with great cocoa. Without a good terroir, proper fermentation, and human care, no amount of technical skill can extract complexity from the bean.

That’s why, at Orfève, we view the plantation as the first expression of flavor,a meeting place between life, people, and time.