cocoa

Chocolate-makers and sellers have been raising prices to keep up with the skyrocketing costs of cocoa. Hermann J. Knippertz/AP hide caption

Cocoa contains compounds called flavanols, which have been shown to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. Kevin Delcroix/Getty Images hide caption

Farmer Georges Kouamé Koffi holding two cocoa pods. Chocolate is made from the almond-sized cocoa beans contained in the pods. Alex Duval Smith for NPR hide caption

Cacao pods ready for harvest at the Loiza Dark Chocolate farm. Courtesy of Loiza Dark Chocolate hide caption

Cocoa pods in Ivory Coast, one of the world's top producers of cocoa. Climate models suggest that West Africa, where much of the world's cocoa is grown, will get drier, which could affect supply. Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Rows of potted cocoa plants from around the world. Before a cocoa variety from one country can be planted in another, it first makes a pit stop here, at a quarantine center in rural England. Courtesy of Dr. Andrew J. Daymond hide caption

Farmer Issiaka Ouedraogo lays cocoa beans out to dry on reed mats, on a farm outside the village of Fangolo, Ivory Coast. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption