Jamie Landefeld

1. Jamie Landefeld

2. Caceo beans were originally used by the Mayans in a unsweetened ceremonial drink. • During the 19th century, Caceo beans were grown in many Latin American countries including Columbia, Ecuador and Brazil.

3. The peak years of caceo production was actually before the time period we are discussing. The Spanish brought back the beans from their conquests in Latin America, and soon it was a delicasy in Europe in high demand. • In 1651, a French entrepreneur opened the first chocolate shop in London, the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll.

4. The caceo trade was mostly controlled by the farmers and the plantation owners who grew the crop. • European investors also financially backed the production of the beans.

5. Until slavery was made illegal in 1851, the picking, drying, and grinding of the beans was done by African slave labor. • Being a labor intensive process, after the abolition of slavery, the

6. From the late 18thcentury all the way to 1925, caceo has helped to bolster the economy of Ecuador. • During the first years of the 1800s, the “Cocoa Boom,” Ecuador was the first exporter of caceo. They exported the crop mostly to Mexico, their shipments averaging 25% of the worldwide market from 1900 to 1910