The tree from which the Cocoa Bean is obtained is a tropical perennial
plant in the Philippines; It grows a lot in African Countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast. Also in South East Asian Countries such as Indonesia.
In principle, all cocoa beans are divided into three groups:
- Consumption Cocoa = Forester (Ivory Coast; Ghana; Togo;
Grows in Nigeria and Cameroon). - Criollo (Jamaica; Ecuador; Sri Lanka; South American Countries like Panama)
- Hybrid Types = Trinitario (Ceylon; Jamaica; Trinidad; Grenada).
The Cocoa Tree can grow up to 15 meters. But usually, it does not exceed 6 – 7 meters in length.
Cocoa beans and cocoa products are chemically and structurally very complex. The quality of cocoa products, such as cocoa powder, depends directly on the quality of the raw cocoa. If the cocoa beans are fully ripe and properly fermented, they will have a dark reddish-brown color and will have very brittle cores, a pure smell and a bitter taste.
Quality seeds have a healthy appearance and no insects have harmed them. The smell of the seeds should not be sour or smoky. If the seeds are not well fermented, they will be purple. Excessive heating of cocoa beans will also impair its quality.
Latamarko COCOA BEAN
The quality of our cocoa beans is assessed according to the following criteria:
1. Completely ripe and properly fermented
2. Homogeneous and uniform grains with a minimum dry weight of 1 g
3. Loose and healthy shell
4. Dark reddish-brown
5. Very fragile core
6. Poor quality cocoa beans also include:
7. Premature, poorly fermented, moldy, dark purple due to excessive fermentation, flat, small and broken, sprouted, smoky smell.
We import the best cocoa beans from the highest quality farms in Africa. Most of our cocoa beans belong to the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Contact us for more information and to receive a sample.