Approximately 400 dried cocoa beans are needed to make one pound (450 grams) of chocolate.
Here's a breakdown of the process:
- Cocoa Pods: Cocoa beans grow inside large pods on cacao trees.
- Beans per Pod: A single cocoa pod typically contains between 30 and 40 cocoa beans.
- Drying and Processing: After harvesting, the beans are fermented, dried, and roasted. This process reduces their weight, which is why the number of dried beans is crucial.
- Yield: Each cocoa pod yields approximately 35 to 40 grams (1.2 to 1.4 ounces) of dried beans.
Therefore, to produce a pound of chocolate, which requires around 450 grams of dried beans, you would need roughly 400 individual cocoa beans.
