Rainforest Stories

Learn all about Theobroma cacao, the tree that brings us chocolate.

Where Does Coffee Come From? Coffee grows on shrubs, bushes, or trees planted at high altitudes in rich, fertile soils with lots of rainfall. More than two thirds of the world’s coffee is grown in Latin America in countries with productive volcanic soils, like Brazil, Mexico, and Guatemala. History of Coffee According to legend, coffee […]

Where do bananas come from? Bananas originated in the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia. Today they are grown in tropical regions across the globe, from South and Central America to India, China and Africa. Bananas grow in hot, tropical climates. Banana plants look like trees but are actually giant herbs related to lilies and orchids. […]

Aztecs and Mayans first created xocolatl, a hot chocolate drink often mixed with vanilla or chili peppers. Cocoa beans were so highly valued, they were used as money until the 1800s. Ecuador was once the primary producer of cocoa, but today about 80 percent is grown in the West African nations of Côte d’Ivoire and […]

Download and print out this colorful two-page poster, which is available for you to use in explaining the layers of the rainforest, its products and the environmental threats facing many rainforests around the world.