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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.

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OUR LOCATIONS

Cocoa Beans is grown in most of the tropical countries in the world. Commercial cotton production is concentrated in main production areas which are South Eastern Asia, East Africa, West Africa and Brazil. We operate in West Africa & East Africa production areas correspondingly in

Ghana

Ivory Coast

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PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN

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 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.

Logistics

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

RAW CASHEW NUT

The cashew nut is the seed nestled inside a shell that grows on the fruit of the cashew tree. The nut has to be removed and roasted the nut in the shell before it can be eaten.

COTTON

Cotton is a natural fibre that comes from the seedpod of the cotton plant and is used to make many fabric types at every price point. The fibre is hollow in the centre and, under the microscope, resembles a twisted ribbon.