Eloise Trenda
Research Expert covering global food topics with a focus on the French, Spanish, and LATAM markets
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Nowadays, unlike coffee, cocoa produced in Latin and South America accounts for only a small share of the world’s production. Indeed, most of the world’s cocoa is grown in Africa. The Americas rank second on the podium, with Ecuador and Brazil as the two main producing countries of these precious beans.
Challenges...
The cocoa market in Latin America is both dynamic and complex. It is influenced by many factors such as global demand, government policies, and weather conditions, which is usually accompanied by its sidekick: climate change. Concerns about the environmental impact of cocoa production in the region have led to various initiatives promoting sustainable agricultural practices as well as fairer wages for local producers.... and successes
In 2021, organic cocoa was the second-largest type of organic crop in the region. The rise in popularity of fairtrade products has also led Latin American producers to focus more on quality rather than quantity. The region is home to unique varieties of cocoa trees such as the “arriba nacional” in Ecuador. Incidentally, the latter was among the world’s leading cocoa exporters in 2021. This focus on quality is one of the reasons why the trade balance of Latin American cocoa has remained positive throughout the years.
