From bean
to cocoa

Cacao fruit on the tree

In the cacao harvest, the ripe fruits are cut off by hand with sharp knives, just as they were 500 years ago.

Opened cacao fruit

At the collection points, harvesters open the fruit with a deft stroke of their bush knives and release the seeds, surrounded by a whitish mass, from the husk.

Seeds with pulp

To turn the still unsightly seed kernels into high-quality raw cacao, they undergo a fermentation process whereby the seeds and pulp are filled into boxes or piled up and covered with palm leaves. After a short time, the fermentation process begins.

Drying the beans

After five to ten days, the fermentation is complete. Before being packed in jute sacks and sent on their way to the processing countries, the cacao beans are dried for several days in the tropical sun.

Cleaning the beans

In a mechanical process, the beans are separated from foreign matter such as stones, wood, and iron. Beans that are too small are sieved out.

Roasting and crushing

During roasting, the typical cocoa flavor develops in the beans. The kernel (nib) is separated from the husk.

Cocoa butter

In a multi-stage process, cocoa butter ...

Liquid cocoa mass

... and cocoa mass are extracted from the nibs.