Theobroma cacao, also called the cocoa tree and cocoa tree, is a small evergreen tree (4–8 m (13–26 ft)) of the Malvaceae family, native to the deep tropical regions of Mesoamerica. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liqueurs, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. The largest producer of cocoa beans in 2018 was the Ivory Coast, with 37% of the world total.

The leaves are alternating, whole, not smooth, 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) long and 5–20 cm (2.0–7.9 in) wide.

The flowers are produced in clusters directly on the trunk and on the older branches; this is known as cauliflower. The flowers are small, 1–2 cm (0.39-0.79 inch) in diameter, with a pink calyx. The floral formula, used to represent the structure of a flower using numbers, is ✶ K5 C5 A (5 ° + 5²) G (5). While many of the world's flowers are pollinated by bees (hymenoptera) or butterflies / moths (lepidoptera), cocoa flowers are pollinated by small flies, the Forcipomyia midges in the Forcipomyiinae subfamily. The use of the natural pollinator of forchipomy flies for Theobroma cacao has been shown to produce more fruit than the artificial pollinator. The fruit, called the cocoa pod, is ovoid, 15-30 cm (5.9-11.8 in) long and 8-10 cm (3.1-3.9 in) wide, ripening yellow to orange and weighs about 500 g (1.1 lbs) ripe. The pod contains 20 to 60 seeds, generally called "beans", embedded in a white pulp. Seeds are the main ingredient in chocolate, while the pulp is used in some countries to prepare refreshing juice, smoothies, jelly and cream. Usually discarded until practices changed in the 21st century, the fermented pulp can be distilled into an alcoholic beverage. Each seed contains a significant amount of fat (40-50%) such as cocoa butter. The active constituent of the fruit is the stimulant theobromine, a compound similar to caffeine.