Cocoa beans are the primary ingredient in chocolate confectionery products around the world. The demand side of the equation for chocolate and cocoa products is ubiquitous and rising with the global population. Meanwhile, supplies come from areas of the world where the climate supports growth, which is limited to tropical climates around the equator.
The West African nations of the Ivory Coast and Ghana dominate the supply side of the fundamental equation for cocoa each year. The economies of the two countries rise and fall with the price of cocoa beans as the industry is