The Spanish Secret Known as Cocoa Beans http://www.chocolatecurb.com/the-spanish-secret... Yes, we all learned in school that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. What is not commonly known is that among the treasures that he brought back from his fourth trip to the New World was the cocoa bean. The story goes is that Columbus presented his treasures to the King Fernando, and Queen Isabel of Espana. Among the items in the treasure was the cocoa beans, but the other items such as gold drew their attention. Thus the cocoa remain unnoticed