Ep. 21: Is Chocolate Going Extinct?

A series of articles published a half decade ago, at the end of 2014, sparked a series of half-jokes and serious questions about the world’s cacao supply— namely, will it taper off and disappear by 2050? It seems unlikely that cocoa could go extinct in thirty years. But I wanted to explore the idea which sparked this cocoa frenzy, and caused more cacao to be planted than you can even imagine. What are the factors which could cause a chocopocalypse, and how are we dealing with them now? Do these factors vary by region, or are Asian cacao and African cacao existing on separate planes? To find some answers to these questions, I spoke with a cocoa researcher, a chocolate maker, and a cacao conservationist. Today’s episode (the last of Season 2!) asks how we can avoid the end of chocolate as we know it, or if we even can. To read an article related to this episode, click here. (https://damecacao.com/craft-chocolate-continue-to-grow/) Show notes: https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-is-chocolate-going-extinct/ (https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-is-chocolate-going-extinct/) Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/ (https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/)