Cacao and cocoa are terms sometimes used interchangeably. In most instances, cacao is used when referring to cacao beans, and cocoa is used to describe the powder made from ground cacao beans.

Today, over 4.5 million tons of cocoa are consumed around the world every year. Cocoa powder is made from cacao beans, which come from the plant Theobroma cacao L. Cacao beans are the primary ...

The cacao trees mature at five years and begin to flower on the trunk. The flowers are pollinated by midges, a small fly.