The cocoa tree

Theobroma Cacao is the name of the cocoa tree that grows in a belt around the Equator. Its Latin name actually consists of two Greek words, ‘theos’ and ‘broma’, which respectively mean god and food. ‘Cacao’ is the Aztec word for the tree.

The term was coined in 1737 by Swedish botanist, Carl von Linn, who was one of the fathers of taxonomy. He named countless plants and trees throughout the world and today he appears on Swedish 100 kronor notes.

The cocoa tree grows to a height of approx. 10 metres and thrives in rain forest regions of tropical climates with high humidity and temperatures. The plants also grow best in shady conditions. It flowers twice a year and bears fruit which each contain 25-30 seeds. These are somewhat misleadingly called cocoa beans.