At the February 13, 2025 meeting of Emerald Necklace Garden Club, Foster Brown, Naturalist with Brecksville Metroparks, shared the history of coffee and chocolate – two plants that changed the cultural and economic history of the world. Some fascinating facts: Coffee beans were discovered in 800 AD by a shepherd whose sheep were energized by consuming coffee beans growing on trees in their fields, The beans were chewed by monks for energy but not grown commercially until  1100 in Yemen. It didn’t become popular in the U.S. until 1773 with the advent of the Boston Tea Party. In 2024, 2.25 billion cups of coffee were consumed every day in the world. $75.2 billion was spent on coffee in 2024. It is second only to oil in legally traded commodities. Coffee berries are harvested twice a year, fermented, water processed, skins removed and dried in the sun. The longer coffee beans are roasted, the more flavor but less caffeine results; thus “dark roast” coffee has the most flavor but the least caffeine. Decaf coffee undergoes a chemical process to remove the caffeine.

                Chocolate and coffee trees are grown in the same countries, those that are in the 15-20 degree latitude above the Equator. Theobroma cacao was called “Foods of the Gods.” The beans grow on the tree trunks; are hand picked; dried on banana leaves; fermented, dried and roasted to become chocolate. Cocoa originated in 1400 BC in Honduras. It was originally an alcoholic drink made from the pulp around the bean. Beans were used by the Aztecs, Incas and  Myans as a trading medium (vs. coins). The Dutch mixed cocoa with sugarcane to invent a sweeter drink.  In the 1800s, the British made it into bars, but only the rich could afford them. Milton Hershey, in PA, wanted the product to be for everyone; his bars and other forms are now the most sold chocolate in the world.