Chapter 3: Cocoa Bean Processing Check Access

Traditionally cocoa beans were transported to the country where the chocolate was going to be manufactured, which was normally situated in a temperate climate. Increasingly, however, the cocoa growing countries are processing their own beans to produce cocoa liquor. This has the advantage that the liquor is much easier to transport and the shell, which is essentially a waste product, is not transported thousands of miles just to be thrown away. The disadvantage is that the manufacturer has less control over the times and temperature of the bean processing. One solution is to partially process the beans, with the final heat treatment being carried out at the chocolate factory. As this chapter describes, wherever the process is carried out, it involves cleaning the beans, removing the shell and some form of roasting.