COCOA BEANS
Cocoa beans, or cacao beans, come from the Theobroma cacao tree. The cacao beans, which are technically seeds, grow inside pods surrounded by a white fleshy pulp known as Baba.
OUR LOCATIONS
Ghana
Ivory Coast
PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN
Production
Primary Process
The pods are opened to remove the beans with the adhering pulp. They are washed or fermented and then dried. The dried beans are ready to be sent to a processing plant
Cleaning
Once in the processing plant, the beans are separated from foreign matter with a machinery that consists of mesh, magnetic separators and aspiration channels.
Pre – Roasting
The beans rotate around a ceramic drum heated with infra-red which separates the shell from the nib. This achieves the “popping effect” and extraneous matter that could contaminate the product during later stages of the process is burned off.
Trade
Warehousing
After the beans are dried, they are cleaned to remove defects. Then they are weighed and packed into jute sacks. Farmers sell the sacks of beans to an intermediary representing a buying company sourcing directly from the farmers.
Farmers then transport the bags to an exporting company. The exporting company inspects and grades the cocoa, and sends it to a warehouse near a port. Sometimes additional drying is necessary at this point.
Logistics
Once cocoa beans have been graded and loaded into cargo vessels, they are shipped either in new jute bags or in bulk. In recent years, shipment of cocoa beans in bulk has been growing in popularity because it can be up to one third cheaper than conventional shipment in jute bags. Loose cocoa beans are loaded either in shipping containers or directly into the hold of the ship, the so-called “mega-bulk” method. The latter mode is often adopted by larger cocoa processors.
Processing
Winnowing
The bean is broken into pieces and the shell is removed with the aid of different meshes and vacuum suction. The de-shelled broken bean is called the “nib”.
Alkalinization
By adding Potash solution (K2CO3) or an equivalent, the pH of the product is increased and the color is changed. This process is used to obtain a wide range of colors in the final product – cocoa powder.
Roasting and Grinding
The nibs are roasted and sterilized. It is in this stage that color and flavor are developed. Times and temperatures are critical at this stage and are crucial in rendering the optimal product.The particle is reduced with three different stages of milling. The paste obtained is called cocoa liquor.
Pressing
Before pressing, the cocoa liquor is conditioned by mixing and heating. It is then pressed and the cocoa butter is extracted. The remaining solids inside the filter become compressed and, at the end of the cycle, they fall into a conveyor. The resulting product is called cocoa cake.Consumption
Cocoa Butter
Before pressing, the cocoa liquor is conditioned by mixing and heating. It is then pressed and the cocoa butter is extracted. The remaining solids inside the filter become compressed and, at the end of the cycle, they fall into a conveyor. The resulting product is called cocoa cake.
Packing
The powder is packed in:1MT bulk sacks made of woven polyethylene.25kg or 50lb bags with three layers of Kraft paper that each have an internal polyethylene coating that acts as a moisture barrier