|
  Turning cacao (kah KOW) seeds into chocolate requires time, effort, and artistry. It’s a fascinating process that takes you from tropical rainforests to gleaming factories.First, farmers grow cacao, and then they harvest, ferment, and dry it by hand. Next, traders and import/export houses sell the seeds on the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange to companies that process the seeds into various chocolate products. Select which part of this intriguing process you’d like to investigate first: Introduction: Making Chocolate from Cacao Seeds For a quick introduction to the world of chocolate making, check out this brief summary of the harvesting and selling of cacao and the manufacturing process that churns it into chocolate. Stage 1: Harvesting Cacao Take an in-depth look at the labor-intensive process of growing, harvesting, fermenting, and drying cacao seeds. You’ll also discover some of the difficult labor issues that cacao farmers have faced over the centuries. Stage 2: Selling Cacao Examine the fast-paced futures market where cacao is traded on the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange. You’ll learn about the pitfalls and profits of buying and selling cacao, as well as its relationship to other agricultural products like sugar. Stage 3: Manufacturing Chocolate Explore the chocolate-making industry and learn about key inventions that led to the creation of the candy bar. You’ll become an expert in the manufacturing and molding of chocolate, and you’ll learn about the difference between bittersweet, baking, and other types of chocolate. “Make” chocolate online in our Manufacturing Chocolate from Seed to Sweet interactive. |
 |
|
|
Chocolate Home | Chocolate Exhibition | All About Chocolate | Educators' Resources | Planning Your Visit | Events and Programs | Chocolate Tour | Field Museum | Credits |
|
| © 2007 The Field Museum, All Rights Reserved 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605-2496 312.922.9410 Copyright Information | Linking Policy |
Technical Support |
|
