What Countries Grow Cacao?

While the Top 10 cacao producing countries grow over 75% of the world’s cacao, as of 2019 there are more than fifty countries growing cacao in some capacity (more than 1MT of dried cacao annually).

Naming what countries grow cacao is simple, but the history and cultures behind those names is complex. Even though chocolate is largely manufactured in Europe and North America, cacao is largely grown in Africa and Central & South America.

Cacao can be grown in humid climates within 25 degrees of the equator, so it doesn't grow in Europe at all, with the exception of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa. Do you wonder how come what most people think is "good chocolate" comes from Switzerland or Belgium? (We did too! Hint: It doesn't)

In recent years, many national governments have begun investing in the cacao industry, either in local farmers (as in the Philippines) or in those of a nearby country (as in New Zealand’s involvement in Timor-Leste).

With the explosion of the craft chocolate movement, some farmers are now growing cacao aimed at a high-end market.

TOP 10 CACAO PRODUCING COUNTRIES

Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia
Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador
Mexico, Peru and Dominican Republic

Other cacao-growing countries have only entered the market in the last several years. Some are working to start a local cacao industry and add value to existing farms, while others aim to eradicate an existing industry, like betel nuts in Taiwan or cocaine production in Peru.

Source. The top 10 cacao producers in each area are bolded.

Cacao Producing Countries in Africa

Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea
São Tomé e Príncipe, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon
Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Uganda
Tanzania, Madagascar

Cacao Producing Countries in Asia

India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam,
Cambodia (Mondulkiri Province), Thailand
Malaysia, The Philippines, Taiwan, China (Yunnan Province), Indonesia

Cacao Producing Countries South Pacific

Australia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa

Cacao Producing Countries in North & Central America

USA (Hawaii & Puerto Rico only), Mexico, Guatemala, Belize El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua Costa Rica, Panama

Cacao Producing Countries in Caribbean

Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica

Cacao Producing Countries in South America

Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana,
Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil

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