Late last year, a consortium led by confectioner Mars Inc. announced that it completed sequencing a draft of the cocoa tree’s genome. They posted the sequence online at the Cocoa Genome Database. At the same time, rival chocolate maker Hershey also announced that researchers it funded had mapped the cocoa genome, later publishing results in Nature Genetics. By analyzing the tree’s genes, scientists hope to be able to develop pest- and disease-resistant cocoa trees, as well as tastier cocoa varieties.