In the historic center of Colmar is the Choco-Story Chocolate Museum. Choco-Story is a chain of chocolate museums with 12 locations around the world.
On the ground floor there are a series of areas that feature past events that have marked the history of chocolate.
It all started with the first cocoa beans used by the Mayans, the first people to process cocoa.
In 1580 the Spanish galleons brought the first cocoa beans to Europe, thus opening the Old Continent to the world of cocoa where in the Middle Ages chocolate was used as a mood medicine.
On the first floor, the exhibition focuses on industrial production and modern chocolate.
The cocoa plant grows only in tropical areas and requires a constant climate with temperatures between 20° and 30°C.
There are dozens of varieties of cocoa in the world but the main ones are: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario.
Criollo cocoa is known for its superior quality, has a delicate profile with notes of fruit and caramel and is mainly used for the production of gourmet chocolate. It is mainly grown in Latin America in the areas of Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua and Mexico.
Forastero cocoa is the backbone of the chocolate industry as it accounts for 80% of the world’s production. It is grown in West Africa in the areas of the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria but also in Brazil.
Trinitario, on the other hand, is a hybrid between Criollo and Forastero and is grown in Caribbean countries, Venezuela, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
