Chocolate is one of the world's favorite foods.
And although it's never really a bad time to talk about chocolate, it's especially relevant now: November 29 is National Chocolate Day, after all.
But behind one of our favorite foods is a $103 billion industry with aspects most people don't know about — some sweet, and others that might leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Read on for eight surprising facts about the chocolate industry.
It takes about 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate.
On average, each cacao tree produces enough fruit each year to make 1 to 3 pounds of chocolate.
Switzerland is the world's biggest consumer of chocolate, eating 19.4 pounds per capita.
Global cocoa production is estimated to hit a record high this year: 4.85 million metric tons.
While big chocolate manufacturers continue to dominate the market, 'super premium' chocolate sales are steadily growing year by year.
Despite a booming industry that continues to grow each year, most cacao farmers earn less than $1 per day.
The high demand for chocolate has led to massive amounts of deforestation, particularly in the Ivory Coast, which has lost 80% of its forests over the last 50 years.
Child labor continues to be an industry-wide issue, with more than 2 million children engaged in dangerous labor on cocoa farms in West Africa in 2015.
