CocoaSupply.com ships to all US territory and sometimes to Canada. But we also have CocoaSupply.ca for all Canadian customers.
CocoaSupply.eu ships to all Europe (EU and surrounding countries)
CocoaSupply.au shipps to all Australia
We use the highest quality, single origin Ecuadorian Fine Flavor cacao beans, ethically sourced from small and family farms in Ecuador.
Yes, all our cacao products are Kosher certified.
Yes, all our products are non-GMO.
CocoaSupply is a supplier of cacao derivatives, including nibs, liquor, butter, powder, and cacao pulp. The company's focus is on supplying ingredients for the cocoa and chocolate industry.
The Founder and President of CocoaSupply is Leila Carvajal Erker. She is actively managing all the operations and easy to reach. This is what makes us an approachable, small business, unlike big commodity traders, our family stands behind the business and understands the struggles farmers and also craft makers have.
The main cacao derivatives supplied include nibs, liquor, butter, powder, and cacao pulp. These products are essential inputs for chocolate manufacturing and other applications.
Cocoa nibs are dried and/or roasted cocoa beans that are shelled through a winnower. They are fragments of the cocoa beans without the husk.
Cocoa husk is the "skin" surrounding the cocoa bean. It separates the cocoa pulp (mucilage) from the beans. Once dried, the husk is a paper-like fiber. It can be used to make tea, brew, and make paper. Please do not confuse with the cocoa pod husk, which is the thick shell of the whole cocoa fruit.
Cocoa liquor, also referred to as cocoa mass, is the paste produced when cocoa nibs are ground. It contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It can have different fineness, usually ranging from 75 micrones to 25 micrones. This is the base for chocolate.
Cocoa butter is the natural fat extracted from cocoa beans. It is a key ingredient produced during the pressing of cocoa liquor.
Cocoa butter is produced by pressing cocoa mass, which separates the fat (cocoa butter) and the solids (fibers and proteins of the cocoa bean).
Cocoa mass usually has between 50 to 54% of cocoa butter. After being pressed with a hydraulic press, about 10 to 24% is left in the solids. These pressed solids will be pulverized, giving cocoa powder.
The butter that is squeezed put of the press, is the coveted cocoa butter. It is a pale yellow, highly aromatic fat that smells like chocolate.
Cacao pulp is the fruit mucilage inside the cocoa fruit called pod. This pulp is the one that surround the cocoa beans. It is a topic of research for new applications, such as uses in beverages, jams, puree, syrups, and much more.
Our cacao beans are raw (unprocessed), just naturally fermented / dried under the sun. They come with their skin on (which needs to be removed in order to use).
Our cacao is naturally fermented by farmers prior to any industrial processing.
When the cacao seeds (beans) are taken out of the cacao fruit, they are surrounded by a white sticky pulp. They are picked up in patios and covered with black bags. The sun will then heat up the beans and the pulp will start fermenting on the outside of the bean. Acetic acid is formed, which will penetrate the cacao beans and let them oxidize (ferment) as well. This takes about 4 to 6 days and helps the development of aroma in the beans. Once they are fermented, they are bagged and brought to the factory where they will be washed and milled.
Technically yes, but very little. What it actually has is Theobromine, which is also a neurostimulant.
"Cocoa" is the English term and "cacao" is the Spanish term. Both are easily interchanged and many people use them according to their understanding, as there is no official entity or parameter for differentiating the two. Nowadays, the term "cacao" is commonly used when the origin and farming quality matters, and "cocoa" has historically been used more as a commodity term in the trade.
They represent the percentage of cacao butter (fat content) in the powder.
When you see 10–12% or 20–22% on a cocoa powder label, that number indicates the percentage of residual cocoa butter remaining after pressing.
Cocoa powder is simply the solid cake left over after pressing cocoa mass to extract some of its natural fat.
During pressing, pressure (and controlled temperature) is applied to separate the cocoa butter. Depending on how much is extracted and under what conditions, the cake will retain more or less fat:
If more fat is extracted, the resulting powder will have around 10–12% fat content.
If less is extracted, it can range from 20–22%.
These percentages are expressed as ranges because there is always some natural variation in the industrial process. It’s not an exact value like 11.3% or 21.7%, but rather an accepted technical specification.
This percentage simply indicates how much of the bean's natural fat remains in the powder. And that influences texture, mouthfeel, and behavior in formulation.
Natural cacao powder is cacao powder in its purest form. It has a richer aroma, is more acidic, and is slightly higher in antioxidants than the alkalized form.
Alkalized (also known as Dutched-processed) cacao powder is more soluble than the natural form because it contains potassium carbonate, an alkali, which breaks it down a little more and lowers the acidity. It is also slightly darker in color.
Our alkalized cacao powders are just slightly alkalized (we use less than 2% potassium carbonate). We don't alkalize too much, to keep the highest nutritional values as well as the great aroma that the Fine Aroma cacao bean has to offer. For that reason, our cacao powders are never too dark (which is caused by the Dutch process).
Natural cacao powder is mildly acidic, typically with a pH around 5–6 due to organic acids formed during fermentation. During alkalization, cacao is treated with an alkaline salt (potassium carbonate), raising its pH closer to neutral.
This shift in pH alters several key characteristics:
- Acidity decreases
- Certain polyphenols are modified, reducing astringency
- Color deepens
- Solubility improves
- Flavor becomes smoother and less sharp
Higher pH environments also influence browning reactions, contributing to darker tones in finished products.
Our alkalized cacao powder is treated with only less than 2% potassium carbonate, resulting in a light alkalization that improves functionality while preserving much of the bean’s original character, since we work with such a high-quality bean.
In baking applications, this formulation is important to understand. Recipes using baking soda typically rely on the natural acidity of non-alkalized cacao for proper leavening. Recipes using baking powder alone are often designed for alkalized cacao, since baking powder contains its own acid component.
Understanding pH helps explain why natural and alkalized cacao behave differently in both flavor and structure.
Regarding ingredients, they are exactly the same. However, usually when referring to chocolate it means it has been ground finely to develop flavor and smoothness. Some people choose to add a little extra cacao butter to the liquor to make it a bit softer, which is similar to the consistency of a standard chocolate bar.
Yes, you can make chocolate out of those two ingredients. However, here is a little background which might come in handy when deciding on your ingredients:
Chocolate is made with 3 main ingredients: Cacao Liquor (mass), Cacao Butter, and Sugar (or other sweetener).
The cacao liquor is the base product to make cacao powder and cacao butter. This means that when you press cacao liquor, you will produce approximately 45% of cacao butter, and 55% of cacao powder. The powder will have an approximate residue of 10 to 12% butter.
If you want to make the cacao liquor back from the powder and butter, they need to be mixed together in those proportions.
Once you have the liquor, most chocolatiers add some extra cacao butter for smoothness (about 5-15% depending on the use). The cacao butter is what gives chocolate that melting sensation when eating, so the more cacao butter it has, the higher the melting sensation.
The amount of sugar and other ingredients (milk, vanilla, etc) varies depending on taste.
Cacao butter has many different uses. Not only is it the base for chocolate, but it is commonly used in the cosmetics industry as well. It is great for lip balms and skin products, since It’s known for reducing stretch marks and serves as an amazing moisturizer. Cacao butter is also the perfect ingredient for making vegan products such as ice cream, since you can get the creamy texture without the need of heavy cream. People also use it for soaps and candles!
Natural cacao butter has a very strong, rich chocolate aroma. It’s Pure Prime Pressed quality, just pressed out of the bean. Most chocolatiers love this option, since it makes their chocolate naturally fragrant. Deodorized cacao butter is the same as the natural, except that most of its aroma is stripped off.
Deodorized cacao butter is preferred when the chocolate smell is not wanted. Some chocolatiers choose this option when they want to have more control over their recipes, by having a uniform base and not an overwhelming amount of chocolate aroma. The cosmetic industry normally chooses deodorized because they use it for its moisturizing properties only, and they want to control the fragrance of their product. Vegan manufacturers that choose cacao butter as a dairy alternative strictly due to its texture also prefer the deodorized option.
Natural cacao butter, in its liquid form, flows against a counter-current of vapor (water), which takes away most of the aroma, becoming deodorized cacao butter.
We only use steam in the process, therefore it is not completely wiped away from all of its smell. We prefer to keep it natural, avoiding bleaching agents and chemicals. Our deodorized cacao butter is lighter in color than the natural butter, but it is still yellow.
- Beer - Cacao Nibs or 10/12 Cacao Powder
- Ice Cream - Alkalized Cacao Powder, Deodorized Cacao Butter for texture
- Hot Chocolate - Alkalized or Natural 10/12 or 20/22 Cacao Powder
- Cold Beverages - Alkalized 10/12 Cacao Powder
- Nutrition Bars - Alkalized or Natural 10/12 Cacao Powder
- Baking Goods - Alkalized 10/12 or 20/22 Cacao Powder
- Lotions / Soaps - Deodorized Cacao Butter
- Tea - Cacao Nibs, Cacao Powder 10/12 to 20/22
- White Chocolate - Natural Cacao Butter