IntroductionCharacteristics of good chocolate is a sweet food preparation based on cocoa beans in various forms and flavors. It has wide application in the food industry and can be consumed both as a final product and as a flavoring ingredient for a wide variety of sweet foods. Its main ingredient, cocoa, is grown by many cultures in Mexico and Central America, as well as in some West African countries, such as Ivory Coast. Chocolate production occurs in several stages. First, bitter cocoa beans must be fermented so that their intense bitter flavor becomes more delicate. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned and roasted. The cocoa mass is then obtained, which represents pure chocolate in raw form. When this mass is liquefied, it is transformed into chocolate liquor, which can instead be further transformed into solid cocoa or cocoa butter. Different chocolate products are produced as a result of different combinations of cocoa solids and cocoa butter, as well as the addition of other ingredients such as milk, sugar, all kinds of flavors, etc. Cocoa solids are valuable for their antioxidant flavanols and alkaloids which have physiological effects on the body and influence serotonin levels in the body, meaning they simply bring the perception of “happiness”. Chocolate is one of the most popular foods in the world and is widely used in the food industry. International chocolate trade From 2008 to 2012, the export value (at current prices) of chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa increased on average by 5.6% to reach its peak of $24.1 billion. In the same period, imports showed a similar development with an average increase of 5.5% reaching...... middle of paper ......4.06.2013, http://www.capital.bg /biznes /kompanii/2013/06/24/2089103_prodava_se_shokoladovata_fabrika_v_botevgrad/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate#The_chocolate_industry http://www.chocolatesource.com/history/index.asp http://www.thestoryofchocolate .com /Who/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3450&navItemNumber=3481 http://www.fairtrade.net/cocoa.html http://www.pobeda.bg/bg/node/Za-nas-2/Predstavyane-9 .aspx http://www.prestige96.bg/bg/content/5/Za-kompaniyata“Slavery in the Chocolate Industry”, http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/“The Cocoa Value Chain”, http: //coffeemeetscocoa.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/the-cocoa-value-chain/“Welcome to the paradise of Bulgarian chocolate”, http://www.questbg.com/lifestyle/food-a-drink /963- welcome to bulgarias-chocolate-heaven.html“What is the chocolate industry?”, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-chocolate-industry.htm