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American Chocolatiers?
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Dan Birchall
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(NM-Bruce) wrote:
> Extending the question...are there any U.S. _growers_ of cocoa beans
> other than the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory? My understanding
> is that the cacao tree can only grow within 20 degrees north or south
> of the equator, and the only U.S. soil that meets this requirement is
> Hawaii. Does that sound right?
Hi Bruce,
To my knowledge, OHCF are the only (commercial) US growers of cocoa
beans. Well, them, and anybody else who's growing for them. I'm not
sure what the exact requirements are for cacao to grow, or whether it
could be grown indoors at other latitudes.
I've had OHCF's chocolate - it's carried by some natural foods and
gourmet type stores in Hawaii.
Interestingly, the state politicians in Hawaii lobbied successfully a
few years back to have Hawaiian-grown coffee served at White House
functions instead of imported coffee (seems logical) but I haven't
heard anything about doing the same for chocolate. I guess coffee is
just a more developed industry; OHCF is really pioneering cacao as part
of diversified agriculture in Hawaii.
-Dan
--
http://ChocoLocate.com/
- The Chocolate Lovers' Page, established 1994.
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