According to the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (ApexBrasil), Brazil had several reasons to celebrate its chocolate production. The country is the 7th largest cocoa producer in the world and also the 7th largest exporter of the product and its derivatives.
According to the National Association of Cocoa Processing Industries (AIPC), Brazil exported 33,521 tons of chocolate and 54,756 tons of cocoa by-products last year, generating $226 million. The main destination for Brazilian chocolate is Argentina, followed by the United States and Chile.
As for cocoa bean exports, the volume sold in 2021 reached 567 tons.
From January to May 2022, Brazil exported 14,038 tons of chocolate, 20,232 tons of by-products, and 273 tons of cocoa beans, explained the AIPC.
Apex highlighted that fine cocoa produced in the Amazon is considered one of the best. In 2021, three Brazilian cocoa producers were awarded among the 50 best in the world at the Cocoa of Excellence Awards. In the same year, Belgian chocolate Nicolas, produced with Pará almonds, came in second place at the Belgium Chocolate Awards 2022.
Internationalization
ApexBrasil promotes the internationalization of Brazilian chocolate through the Brazil Sweets & Snacks project, developed in 1998 in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Chocolate, Cocoa, Peanut, Candies, and Derivatives Industries (Abicab). The project aims to promote the image of Brazilian cocoa as a quality raw material for fine chocolate production and support the access of companies and producers in the sector to major international markets.
Participation in fairs and events abroad is one of the main actions of the project.
In 2022, Brazil Sweets & Snacks took six Brazilian companies from the sector to the largest and most important candy and cookie fair in the world, held annually in Germany, ISM Köln, where $1.3 million in immediate business was generated. Another five Brazilian companies participated in the largest confectionery and snacks exhibition in North America – Sweets & Snacks, in Chicago, where $580,000 in immediate business and $6 million in expected business for the coming months were 
generated.
Bahia and Pará are the Brazilian states that produce the most cocoa in the country – 90 percent of national production. Brazilian cocoa is produced in agroforestry systems that preserve the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon.
“There are several varieties of cocoa. Depending on the region where they are produced, they have a terroir that can only be found in Brazil. All this quality of cocoa is reflected in chocolate production, whether industrial or artisanal, with high quality and recognition through international awards,” explained the president of Abicab, Ubiracy Fonseca.
Data from Abicab, collected by KPMG, reveal that the Brazilian chocolate industry recorded a 6 percent expansion in production in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period the previous year. A total of 201,000 tons were produced, compared to 189,000 tons in 2021. The sector generates about 20,000 direct jobs in Brazil.
Source: Agência Brasil