Bulk cocoa is a class of
cocoa bean
The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...
s. It is contrasted with
flavor cocoa
Flavor cocoa or fine cocoa are cocoa beans that are sold at a premium, contrasted with bulk cocoa.
Description
They are not traded as commodities, and may be from specific geographical regions, crops or varieties, or may be harvested or ferment ...
. They generally grow in
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
.
History
Chocolate makers prioritizing bulk cocoa caused a loss of agrobiodiversity.
Description
Bulk cocoa generally comes from
Forastero
Forastero (Spanish language, Spanish: "Outsider"; born July 30, 1994) is the ring name of a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador wrestling mask, enmascarado'' (or masked Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who is signed to Lucha Libre AAA ...
-type
cacao trees. Bulk cocoa is distinguished from flavor cocoa using the subjective definition of containing undesirable or poor flavor, drying or fermentation. Bulk cocoas have a strong inherent flavor. They are regulated by quality requirements, which allow manufacturers to ensure homogeneity for what they add to blends, maintaining brand flavors.
Over 95% of the world's cocoa production was classified as bulk as of 2017.
Producers
Most bulk cocoa is produced in West Africa.
Ghana produces the highest quality bulk beans, as
Cadbury
Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...
has maintained its reputation based on using beans from Ghana, as Ghana has retained a high degree of structural control over its cocoa industry. Cocoa in Ghana is cultivated for a consistent flavor, which is understood in European and American markets as the flavor of chocolate. This has been supported by the
Ghana Cocoa Board.
Indonesia produces bulk cocoa of variable quality. Most Indonesian cocoa is unfermented, and is used as bulk filler.
Markets
Bulk beans are traded as a
commodity
In economics, a commodity is an economic goods, good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the Market (economics), market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to w ...
, where distinctions are made between bulk grades in
futures trading
In finance, a futures contract (sometimes called futures) is a standardized legal contract to buy or sell something at a predetermined price for delivery at a specified time in the future, between parties not yet known to each other. The item tr ...
.
See also
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Cocoa production in Ghana
Ghana is the second-largest exporter of cocoa beans in the world, after Côte d'Ivoire, which accounts for about one-third of the global supply. Ghana's cocoa cultivation, however, is noted within the developing world to be one of the most mode ...
*
Cocoa production in Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) leads the world in production and export of the cocoa beans used in the manufacture of chocolate, as of 2024 producing 45% of the world’s cocoa.
West Africa collectively supplies two thirds of the world's cocoa cro ...
References
Sources
Books
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Journal articles
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