Header Cocoa

Cocoa. Our unique know-how.

Cocoa is the most typical ingredient in chocolate, 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.
Cocoa Part 1

Once the cocoa beans have been removed from the ripe fruit, they are left to ferment for a week, usually under banana leaves, to  allow the natural flavours and aromas to develop, and then dried for five days before being shipped to our factories. Here they undergo our rigorous quality controls: organoleptic, physical, chemical, microbiological checks. We then further dry the beans and grind them 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 because we roast most of the beans ourselves, we can constantly monitor their fragrance, quality and freshness. Then we grind the roasted nibs obtaining a cocoa mass that is then pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa ""cake"". Lastly, we break the cocoa cake to get the cocoa powder that we use in our recipes. 

The cocoa mass, which is rich in precious cocoa butter, mixed with sugar and other ingredients then processed, gives the Kinder dark chocolate. If added with  different percentages of whole milk powder, it gives origin to the different kinds of milk chocolates used for Kinder treats. The cocoa mass is even used to produce cocoa coating as in Kinder Delice.

Harvested from tropical climes

Cocoa part 2

We source cocoa mainly from West Africa and South America, where the hot and humid climate is ideal for its cultivation. Here we buy the cocoa beans raw and whole primarily from the main harvest, which has the highest quality.

Cocoa part 2

Our commitment to sustainable cocoa sourcing

Cocoa Part 3

We are committed to source our cocoa responsibly and have achieved our goal to source all our cocoa beans and chocolate via independently managed sustainability standards like Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and others. 

Cocoa Part 3

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. 

Milk
Hazelnuts
Honey
Cereals
Eggs
Fats and oils
Palm Oil
Sugar
Malt
extract
Baker's
yeast
Emulsifiers
Raising
agents
Flavourings
Thickener
Glazing
agents
Humectant
Lemon
juice
Coconut
Coffee Extract
Yogurt
Salt