Where does chocolate come from?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n How does black pepper grow?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n How are perfume scents made?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Most of these questions remain unanswered for many people. The availability and easy accessibility to goods and services seem to create disconnection. We are so immersed in todays modern life, in our busy lifestyles governed by technology, that sometimes we forget to connect back with mother nature; it is here where most answers can be found.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When you take a step back to observe and take time to enjoy the little things in life, that is when you start to learn. You realise that happiness lays in the simplicity of things and that simplicity is actually enough. Everything we need, can be found in mother nature.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On this article we will talk about some of the things we have learnt from our “on the ground” research for Africana skincare products which also inspired us and made us understand where many of the products we consume actually come from.<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWho doesn\u2019t love chocolate?\u201d. \u201cYou seriously don\u2019t like chocolate?!\u201d.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Chocolate is a sacred product. We can be amazed when someone tells us that they don\u2019t like chocolate, it is almost like a taboo. The sad part is that most people haven\u2019t even seen where it comes from.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Chocolate is made from cacao seeds (see image). These seeds are found in cocoa pods (see image) which grow on trees. It\u2019s growth starts with a tiny little pod that is almost unnoticed (see image).\u00a0 It takes five or six months for it to grow into a ripe cocoa pod. The interesting part is that it grows on the stem of the tree as opposed to growing\u00a0 at the end of a branch as an orange would for example. Another fact is that you can suck on the seeds which are sweet, just like a fruit. These exact seeds are then left to be dried out which is the first step to making chocolate!<\/p>\r\n\n\t\tOrigins of chocolate<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n