Can Brazil save chocolate? One farm thinks so

Brazil is leading the charge in reviving the global chocolate industry, which is facing a severe supply shortage and rising prices. 

Moises Schmidt, a cocoa grower and entrepreneur in Bahia state, is leading the development of what could become the world’s largest cocoa farm.   

He has secured preliminary backing from major cocoa traders and chocolate manufacturers.   

‘We started producing cocoa looking for an alternative that would add to the fruit production that the group already wanted. However, at that time cocoa production needed shade and we began to understand a little the dynamics and the technical issues of cocoa. We began to identify that cocoa in full sun had a better response, the tree grew faster. It started producing fruit much earlier, producing more,’ Schmidt said while speaking to Reuters. 

Cocoa crisis hits global chocolate supply 

The project comes at a critical time—cocoa production in West Africa, which supplies 70 per cent of the world’s beans, is stagnating.  Meanwhile, global demand for chocolate continues to rise, creating urgent pressure to find new, high-yield sources of cocoa. 

‘In Brazil, today, we've reached the conclusion that if you want to reach a production above 1,6 million tons of cocoa, you need at least 500 thousand hectares of cocoa plantations in non-traditional areas, like the ones you are seeing here. This production, in my point of view, will only cover a drop of the production of countries in Africa that are stagnating at the moment,’ he said. 

The implications of this megafarm are significant.  If successful, it would not only make Brazil a key player in the global cocoa market but also set a new benchmark for sustainable, high-efficiency cocoa production.   

With global chocolate makers seeking reliable supply chains amid mounting climate and disease pressures in West Africa, this project could reshape where—and how—cocoa is grown.