Cocoa. Our unique know-how.
Cocoa is the most typical ingredient in our kinder products, and we use it in some of our most loved products for its remarkable combination of flavour and taste, carefully selecting it and processing it.
Experts at cocoa processing
Through the years we have developed a unique expertise in combining and processing the different cocoa beans to create the special aroma and taste of our recipes.
Once the cocoa beans have been removed from the ripe fruit, they are left to ferment for some time, usually under banana leaves, to allow the natural flavours and aromas to develop, and then dried before being shipped. Then they undergo rigorous quality controls such as organoleptic, physical, chemical, microbiological checks. Beans are further dried and grinded into a mill that that separates the edible ground nibs from the skin.
The ground nibs are finally roasted to enhance their aroma and colour and constantly monitored for their fragrance, quality and freshness. Then grinded the roasted nibs obtaining a cocoa mass that is then pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa "cake". Lastly, cocoa cake is broken to get the cocoa powder that is used in our recipes.
Supporting Farmers
Cocoa is mainly produced in developing countries by smallholder farmers who face various economic, social, and environmental issues, such as lack of access to resources, limited knowledge of good agricultural practices, and climate change.
Through our our sustainability programme for cocoa, we support farmers in adopting sustainable agricultural practices aimed at fostering sustainable livelihood while respecting the local communities and environment . We also help them to diversify their incomes to reduce poverty and related issues as well as increasing the resilience of their communities.
We also actively support initiatives that have a broader scope than our direct supply chain and aim at protecting cocoa farming communities and their environment. To do so, since 2008 we are member of the International Cocoa Initiative, and since 2005 of the World Cocoa Foundation.
In early 2021, we also partnered with the NGO Save the Children to protect children’s rights and promote education in cocoa growing communities in West Africa.
