Cacao production is concentrated in a handful of countries. Global cacao output reached 4.733 million tonnes in the 2024/25 season, up 8.5% year over year, according to the International Cocoa Organization, and the large majority of it comes from the Top 10 producers below. Still, more than fifty countries grow 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
Growing country is only part of the story. See Varieties Of Cocoa Beans for how the bean itself varies, or What Is Single Origin Chocolate? for what "origin" means once it's in your bar.
You can taste the map. Cacao from each growing region carries its own flavor signature, and our chocolate bar collection is sorted by country so you can travel through them one square at a time. Try 100% dark chocolate to taste origin without sugar in the way, or send a multi-origin set as chocolate gifts.
