The cacaofruit: the rediscovered wonderfruit!
The cacaofruit: the rediscovered wonderfruit!
The cocoa tree bearing its wonderfruits
The cocoa tree, or cacaofruit tree, generates much more than only the cocoa beans (or seeds)! The tropical trees only thrive in the exotic heat of the equatorial forest, where full-grown cocoa trees protect the younger ones against the rough strong wind and burning sun.
The cocoa trees starts bearing their fruit, the cacao pods, after five years. The cacao pods contain a lot more than only the beans: the cacao pod is a fruit with its own pulp and juice, just like an orange or an apple. Whereas 70% of the cacao pod, or cacaofruit, was thrown away, at Cabosse Naturals we developed the low waste supply chain of the cacaofruit.
Now not only its seeds (beans) but also the dried peel, the fresh and juicy pulp are used and processed into delicious cacaofruit ingredients.
When is the cacaofruit ripe?
You can examine the ripeness of the cacaofruit by the colour of its thick husk. When you scrape the husk and find a green colour underneath, the cacaofruit is unripe. When you scrape and find a white or yellow colour, your cacaofruit is ripe and ready to consume.
Is the cacaofruit a vegetable or fruit?
Many are unclear whether the cacaofruit is a vegetable or fruit. Let's clear up this misunderstanding once and for all: the pod shaped fruit of the cocoa tree is classified as baccate-like, or berry-like, thus a fruit.
Each cacao pod produces 35 up to 50 seeds surrounded by a white fleshy sweet citric pulp.
