World Chocolate Day is an annual celebration of chocolate, occurring globally on July 7th. The observance dates back to 2009 and is said to be the anniversary of introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550. But while the top chocolate producing countries are found in Europe (Germany, Belgium, Italy), the real source is in Africa. Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is the world’s #1 producer of cocoa beans, accounting for 40% of global cocoa bean production. Cocoa beans are the primary ingredient used to make chocolate.

Cocoa beans are the seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). Those beans are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, and then ground into a paste called cocoa mass or chocolate liquor, which is a key ingredient in chocolate production. It can take an entire year for a cocoa tree to produce the cocoa in just 200 grams of chocolate. That is roughly two chocolate bars per cocoa tree.

But while Ivory Coast is the top cocoa bean producer, it receives less than 5% of the profits from the $100 billion chocolate industry. Several Ivorian chocolate makers are looking to change that figure. Emerging Ivorian brands include Le Chocolatier Ivoirien, Luster Chocolate, and Chocovi, all of whom source from local Ivorian farmers and have online shops to reach consumers around the globe. So, the next time you have a taste for a delicious chocolate treat, consider buying directly from the source.