Café et Cacao

West Africa (and Cote d'Ivoire in particular) is the world's largest producer of cocoa, and is also a major supplier of coffee. Both products are grown in Togo, and while there we had the opportunity to visit a plantation for the research and development of coffee and cocoa (café et cacao).

It was really interesting! Did you know cocoa beans come from pods that grow on the trunks of cacao trees?


Here's the guide who gave us an explanation of how the pods are processed. If your interest is piqued and you want to learn more, click here.

Coffee beans also grow on trees, as you can see below. This research station develops disease-resistant hybrids and sells them to plantations that grow and export their coffee and cocoa to other parts of the world.

It was a fun day!

Now we are back in Abidjan, and it is good to be home! However, the realities of what it means to be in our own house are setting in. For the last month we've stayed in hotels, conference centers and guest houses where other people cleaned, cooked, and washed dishes for us. We quickly got very spoiled and now we're facing a reality check. It's worth it to be home, though!