The first half of the scientific name for the fiendishly fickle cocoa tree means “food of the gods”. By the time Theobrama cacao was christened by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist, in 1753, wealthy Europeans, like the Mayans before them, were already worshipping its seeds. Three centuries on, demand for cocoa, the basic ingredient for chocolate, is still climbing heavenwards. Supply cannot keep pace.
