Cocoa beans, also known as cocoa beans, cocoa and cocoa, are the dried and fully fermented seeds of cocoa. Cocoa beans can extract cocoa solids from the seeds. Due to the fat of the seeds, cocoa butter can be extracted. Beans are the basis of chocolate, as well as Central American foods such as mole mice and tejate.

The three main varieties of cocoa plants are forecero, Criolo and trinitrio. The first is the most widely used, accounting for 80-90% of the world's cocoa production. The Criollo variety of cocoa beans is rare and is considered a delicacy. The yield of Criollo plantation is lower than that of Forestero, and its resistance to several diseases attacking cacao plants is also weak, so few countries are still producing it. Venezuela (chuao and PORCELANA) is one of the largest producers of Criollo beans. Trinitario (from Trinidad) is a hybrid of Criollo and forecastero. It is believed to have higher quality, yield and disease resistance than forecastero.