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Chocolate:
That's How They Make It! by Elaine Moore Summary:
The production of chocolate is explained-from the special bean to
the candy bar. Concept: Productivity Definition: Labor productivity measures how many goods or services are produced per worker. Greater productivity leads to higher standards of living. Comprehension Questions: Identify at least three different products produced in the factory. (cocoa powder, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate) In the chocolate factories, "winnowing machines" are used to crack the shells off the cacao beans. How does this machine increase productivity? (Without this machine, it would take forever to shell the cacao beans by hand.) Explain why a chocolate manufacturer invests in so many different types of machinery. (To increase productivity-- each machine, operated by a skilled worker, enables the worker to produce much more.) Describe the natural resource from which the production of chocolate begins. (a special bean that comes from the cacao tree) Identify the other natural resources used. (banana peels, sun) List and describe the capital resources used in the chocolate factory. (machine similar to gigantic clothes dryer, sweltering tunnel, conveyor belt - used to roast the beans; winnowing machine - shells the beans; nib-grinding machine - grinds the nibs with stones and steel; rectangular molds - used to store the chocolate liquor; hydraulic press - squeezes cocoa butter out of the chocolate liquor; mixing machine - stirs cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, and sugar; conchers (heavy rollers) or giant eggbeater - blends chocolate into smooth paste; molds on conveyor belts - helps shake the air bubbles out; cold tunnel - hardens the liquid chocolate; packaging machines - wrap the candy bars into paper wrappers) How long does the production take? (two days, four days, or sometimes more) What human resources are needed? (farmers to grow the beans; workers to pick the beans; factory workers to make, package, and taste the chocolate) Where will the chocolate products be sold? (stores) Identify the productive resources in the flow chart at the end of the book. (natural resources: cacao pods - beans; human resources: workers; capital resources: factory, winnowing machines, conching machines, molds) Other
Concepts: Productive
Resources, Goods
and Services, Producers
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