That's not to say it's a bad thing, but if you're expecting them to be like other brands you may be surprised. The ICCO is engaged in projects around the world to support sustainable cocoa production and provide current information on the world cocoa market.

The farmer removes the beans from the pods, packs them into boxes or heap them into piles, then covers them with mats or banana leaves for three to seven days.In the 18th and 19th centuries, Nacional was considered by many European chocolatiers to be the most coveted source of cacao in the world due to its floral aroma and complex flavor profile. For the next 3 to 5,000 years, the Mesoamerican civilizations including the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs cultivated and domesticated the T. Pesticides are often applied to the trees to combat capsid bugs, and fungicides to fight black pod disease. Cacao trees grow in a limited geographical zone, of about 20° to the north and south of the Equator. Processing is the last phase in which consumption of the cocoa bean can be equitably compared to supply.

Alternatively, it can be separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter using a hydraulic press or the Broma process. Cocoa production is likely to be affected in various ways by the expected effects of global warming. Due to its fragile state, susceptibility to disease, and low production, criollo plants now make up less than 1 to 5% (the experts vary on that number) of the total crop production in the world.

In my view, official smarties have lost something of their traditional taste (and have become duller in appearance over the years).