cocoa bean
noun
plural cocoa beans
: a dried, fermented, fatty seed of the fruit of a South American tropical evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Malvaceae) that is used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter : cacao sense 1
The cocoa bean contains cocoa solids (particles) and about 53 percent cocoa butter.—
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Rose Levy BeranbaumExamples of cocoa bean in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cocoa prices skyrocket by nearly 90% in just three months
Cocoa farmers produce about 5 million tons of cocoa beans annually, with Europe devouring nearly half of the global supply, closely followed by the Americas and Japan.
—Oyku Ilgar, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
In a reflection of how much Americans love chocolate, U.S. businesses import about $5 billion worth of cocoa beans a year, according to the USDA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
One of the largest importers of cocoa beans, the Hershey Company, gets their supply from Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Peru.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Chocolate is another major Latin American import, given that the U.S. climate is by and large unsuited to growing cocoa beans.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocoa bean
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Oyku Ilgar, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
In a reflection of how much Americans love chocolate, U.S. businesses import about $5 billion worth of cocoa beans a year, according to the USDA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
One of the largest importers of cocoa beans, the Hershey Company, gets their supply from Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Peru.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Chocolate is another major Latin American import, given that the U.S. climate is by and large unsuited to growing cocoa beans.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocoa bean
Cite this Entry
“Cocoa bean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocoa%20bean. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share