Cocoa Pods

Cocoa pods are the oblong-shaped fruit of the Cocoa Tree. Flowers and pods grow exactly from the stem called Chupon or from main branches.

COCOA POD

The pods grow on the trunk and large branches of the cocoa tree. While they grow throughout the year, they are usually harvested twice a year. The pods must be picked when they are ripe;they do not fall off the tree on their own.Small insects pollinate flowers on the cocoa tree. The tree regulates the pod yield, but on average, only five of every 100 flowers become pods. The flowers open during the night and have 48 hours to be pollinated. Then, pods ripen 150-180 days after pollination.

The pods can be up to 30 cm long but it can differ a lot. weight is usually 300gr – 500 gr and color is red-brown. The fruit grows is about 5 months and other month ripes. Its pulp is often eaten by animals and its seeds are used for chocolate.

Ripe & Open Cocoa Pod

There are 20-40 seeds in one pod. Seeds are 2 – 4 cm long and 1 – 2 cm wide. Main fruit seasons are in May and in October/November and in this time the crop is usually harvested. Each tree produces annually about 0,5 – 2, 5 of seed kernels.