A hotter climate threatens chocolate. This German company invented a substitute

Cacao trees are notoriously finicky and grow within a range of just about twenty degrees north and south of the equator. Two countries, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, are responsible for over half the global supply of cocoa beans. But climate change is contributing to erratic weather where cocoa beans are grown and threatening the global chocolate supply. Record rainfall last year led to fungal infections among cacao trees and dwindled supply of cocoa beans. Heat is also making it more difficult for cocoa beans to thrive.
So, for day three of NPR’s
, we look at one innovation in the food industry: chocolate substitutes.
As big chocolate manufacturers rush to stockpile cocoa beans, some companies like
are looking for a more sustainable solution: An alternative that looks like chocolate, tastes like chocolate and feels like chocolate — without chocolate.