Krak Chocolate – Vietnam 2020

Cocoa was introduced to Vietnam in the late^19th century, in Ben Tré province. Unfortunately, with little success. The cocoa, from the cocoa trees that remained, was eaten raw and directly from the pod by the population. Later it was tried again during the early 80s. Those interested were the Russians. Even before the first cocoa was ready, the iron curtain fell and the potential buyers disappeared without a trace. The cocoa was discontinued. Until the demand for chocolate increased in China around 2000. The big companies, from China, wanted to get the cocoa from nearby Vietnam. This was mainly bulk cocoa. At the same time, the demand for good cocoa increased. The cocoa trees, from Ben Tré for example, that were left over from 1980 and earlier were used to open new plantations with quality cocoa trees.