Hello, my name is Holly Micklem. I am doing my blog on the geography of chocolate.

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The Influence of Chocolate Around the World

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The Influence of Chocolate Around the World A huge number of countries produce cacao beans and there are approximately 4.5 million cacao farms around the world. The current value of the annual global crop of cacao is 5.1 billion dollars. Almost all countries that produce cacao beans are developing countries and almost all countries that consume chocolate are industrialised countries. The top 4 producers of cacao beans are the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Indonesia. The demand for chocolate is increasing. For the last century demand has increased by 3% each year. It is estimated that the demand for chocolate will double by 2050. This puts increasing pressure on farmers to produce a more cacao beans and at a quicker pace as well. Climate change has caused longer drought seasons which makes it more difficult for farmers to plant and sustain cacao trees. Traditional cacao farms plant cacao trees in the shade among other plants and trees. However, to increase the quantity of bean...
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The Positives and Negatives of Chocolate

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The Positives and Negatives of Chocolate According   to WorldAtlas.com the top 4 countries that consume the most chocolate per capita are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. Despite the fact that Switzerland is the biggest consumer of chocolate in the world, it is in the top 3 healthiest countries in the world according to dmarge.com. So does this mean we should all be eating more chocolate? I certainly hope so. Statista info graph Chocolate is a confectionery product as it is high in sugar and calories. Therefore it is a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic across the world. Public Health England is currently trying to get businesses to cut sugar by 20% by 2020. Businesses are to achieve this by trying to lower sugar levels in their products, reduce the size of their products or push healthier products. Mars, Nestle, Cadbury and Mondelez [manufacturer of Toblerone] have all reduced the size of their products, while leaving prices unaltered to pro...
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The History of Chocolate

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The History of Chocolate Chocolate is definitely something that is part of daily life. Many of us might say we can not live without chocolate. However how many of us have actually stopped and thought about where this wonderful creation began. Historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2,000 years. However many scientists believe it may even date back to 1400BC.  The history of chocolate begins in Mesoamerica which was a region in the Americas. The cacao tree is native in Mesoamerica and cacao was used extensively. The Mesoamericans first cultivated the cacao plants. They roasted and ground the beans into a paste which they mixed with water, vanilla, honey, chilli peppers and other spices to brew a frothy chocolate drink that was quite bitter. The Myan people and the Aztecs both believed the cacao bean had divine or magical properties and used it in sacred rituals. The cacao beans even became a form of currency in the Aztec Empire. Records from the S...
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