Treatments of cocoa beans before shipment

Let us see how cocoa beans are treated before they are ready for shipment to Europe and United States.

The harvested cocoa pods are opened to expose the beans. The pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the outside skins discarded. The pulp and seeds are then piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the seeds and pulp undergo "sweating", where the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments. The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa seeds behind to be collected. Sweating is important for the quality of the beans, which originally have a strong bitter taste.

A typical pod contains 20 to 50 beans and about 400 dried beans are required to make 454 grams (one pound ) of chocolate. Cocoa pods weigh an average of 400 grams (0.88 lb) and each one yields 35 to 40 grams dried beans.

The wet beans are then transported to a facility so they can be fermented and dried. They are fermented for four to seven days and must be mixed every two days. They are dried for five to fourteen days, depending on the climate conditions. The fermented beans are  spread out over a large surface and constantly raked to dry. In large plantations, this is done on huge trays under the sun or by using artificial heat. Small plantations may dry their harvest on little trays. Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about (often using bare human feet) and sometimes, during this process, red clay mixed with water is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer color, polish, and protection against molds during shipment to factories in the United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and other countries.