Characteristics:

Specie: Forastero with 40% blend of Trinitario
Description: Small flat brown beans with a variety of fine flavours
Quality Grade: Grade 1 A
Color: Dark Brown
Flavour: Earthy, Fruity, Acids
Taste: Slightly bitter to acidic
Texture: Hard & Brittle
Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan, Non-GMO, Fairly Traded
Beans Size: 85 beans/100 g
Humidity: 8% Max
Good Fermentation: 65 % Min
Mold: 2% max
Impurities: 1% max

Grown in the tropical villages of Cameroon, our Trinitario cocoa beans are known for their deep reddish hue and rich, pungent flavor. The cocoa pods are carefully harvested at peak ripeness, fermented to enhance their robust taste, and then sun-dried. Each batch is meticulously sorted to remove impurities and broken beans before being stored in jute bags, ensuring quality and freshness for export.

Cultivation Process

Our cocoa trees thrive in well-aerated soils with a pH of 6, in an environment with 75% daytime humidity and 95% nighttime humidity. Grown in regions receiving 2000 mm of annual rainfall and temperatures around 30°C, these conditions yield premium-quality beans.

Post-Harvest Treatment

The beans undergo a six-day fermentation using box and heap methods, ensuring a deep, well-rounded flavor. They are then naturally dried using solar drying (5 days) followed by oven drying (2 days), with no adulteration or exposure to foreign odors.

We work directly with manufacturers and cacao farms in Cameroon to guarantee fair trade practices, sustainability, and inclusive business opportunities for farmers.

GOOD COCOA PRACTISES

HARVESTING AND POD BREAKING

Harvesting cocoa at the right maturity stage is crucial, as it enhances bean quality and prevents contamination from diseases.

Best Practices:

• Harvest pods at three-quarters yellow or orange-red maturity.
• Conduct multiple harvests at intervals of 10 to 15 days, ensuring only ripe pods are picked.
• Use appropriate tools for harvesting.
• Cut the pods midway through the peduncle without damaging the pod, floral cushion, or dormant bud.
• Separate healthy pods from those affected by brown rot.

POD BREAKING

Best Practices:

• Break pods no later than five days after harvesting.
• Open pods using a wooden club and extract the beans.
• Remove defective beans, stems, and cortex debris.
• Keep the pod-breaking area clean to avoid contamination.

FERMENTATION PROCESS

The rich chocolate flavor sought by manufacturers and consumers develops during fermentation. This process eliminates mucilage, halts germination, and reduces undesirable flavors like bitterness and astringency. Proper fermentation also triggers the formation of aldehydes, which are key precursors to chocolate aroma. A well-fermented bean transitions in color from slate gray to purple and finally to brown.

Best Practices:

• Carefully sort beans before fermentation, keeping only white-colored beans.
• Avoid foreign materials in the fermentation batch.
• Ferment approximately 80 kg of beans per batch.
• Use banana leaves, black plastic sheets, or fermentation boxes for fermentation.
• Facilitate juice drainage by tilting the fermentation platform or creating small drainage openings.
• Stir the beans daily or at least every two days to ensure even fermentation and prevent overheating.
• Allow 5 to 7 days for complete fermentation.

COCOA BEANS DRYING

Drying is essential to reduce moisture content from 55% to 8%, ensuring proper storage and maintaining bean quality for export. Since the beans may undergo long-distance shipping, proper drying is crucial to preserving their quality. Drying is typically done using solar methods but can also be performed artificially.

Best Practices:

• Spread fermented beans on cemented surfaces or clean drying racks. Elevated drying racks are preferred for quick protection against rain.
• Spread beans in thin 3 cm layers.
• Stir beans once daily for uniform drying.
• Remove foreign materials and defective beans during stirring.
• Sun-dry fermented beans for 5 to 8 days, or up to 15 days in rainy or low-sunlight conditions.
• Ensure residual moisture content does not exceed 8%.
• Check bean texture (they should crack easily) and, if possible, measure moisture content.
• Protect beans from rain and reabsorption of moisture overnight.
• Prevent smoke contamination when using artificial dryers or ovens.
• For mixed drying methods, begin with natural drying to drain acids and finish with artificial drying.

PACKAGING AND STORAGE

Improper packaging and storage conditions can degrade cocoa quality.

Best Practices:

• Store dried beans in dry, clean jute bags to prevent contamination.
• Stack bags neatly on clean pallets.
• Store cocoa in a covered, dry warehouse, away from strong odors, heat, rodents, and pests.

TRANSPORTATION

Cocoa beans can be contaminated during transport if proper precautions are not taken.

Best Practices:

• Follow strict hygiene rules for transport conditions (cleanliness, protection).
• Ensure bean moisture content does not exceed 8% before transport.
• Avoid transporting beans in wet or dirty vehicles.
• Load and unload beans in dry or covered areas, away from rain.
• Cover products during transport to protect against weather exposure.
• Never transport cocoa beans in the same vehicle as fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, or lubricants, as their residues are difficult to remove.
• Avoid mixing cocoa beans with food, animals, or people during transport.
• Clean truck trailers before and after transport by sweeping after every trip and regularly washing with soap and water. Whenever possible, clean the entire truck to remove chemical residues.