The cocoa tree is a tropical evergreen tree native to the tropical rainforests of South America. The flowers are small and solitary or clustered on the trunk and thick branches. The main flowering period is from May to November every year. The fruit is oblong or spindle-shaped, with a longitudinal groove on the outer skin. It is thick and green, red or light red when immature. When ripe, the fruit is green, red or light red. It grows from April to May and from September to November. It is orange or red when ripe and contains 30 to 60 seeds (i.e. cocoa beans). Cocoa beans are processed in different ways to produce cocoa powder and chocolate. The cocoa beans are roasted and ground to make cocoa liquor, which is then placed under high pressure to remove the cocoa butter, and then ground and sieved to obtain cocoa powder. The cocoa powder is alkalized to produce Dutch-style chocolate. The chocolate we usually eat today is a mixture of cocoa powder plus cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla essence or other flavorings. Reference answer: The origin of cocoa is Mexico.