Minecraft wiki entry for Cocoa_bean_farming, associated text: Bear in mind that extremely large farms are impractical and unnecessary given the speed at which cocoa pods grow and the overall yield of beans from a relatively small planting. Pods grow quickly, achieving maturity in minutes, each yielding up to 3 beans, each bean making 8 cookies or dying 1 wool brown. At about 80% pod maturity you will almost always see at least a 200% return on your planting.