At ECOM Cocoa we are continually expanding our global footprint to provide superior service and quality cocoa products to meet the needs of our clients worldwide. Our operations, which are involved in the trading, processing, shipping, and delivery of cocoa products, as well as the financing of local farmers, participate at all levels of the industry.
Product Supply Chain
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.
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 comprssed and, at the end of the cycle, they fall into a conveyor. The resulting product is called cocoa cake.
COCOA BUTTER
The butter is filtered and deodorized to eliminate any remaining cocoa solids. It is then cooled and packed.
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