Cocoa
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The cocoa trade
The Cooperative founded on people!
L'Unione del Porto:
specialists in cocoa
Around 110,000 tonnes of cocoa beans disembark each year in Italian ports, with the ports of Genoa, Vado Ligure and La Spezia among the most important.
It is in these very ports that the Cooperative offers a vast range of services dedicated to cocoa, spanning from handling to cleaning, and transportation to storage.
Much of the cocoa comes from Ghana and Côte D’Ivoire, while a good percentage originates from Nigeria and Ecuador.
Importation of the fruit is managed mainly by traders that confectionery industries buy lots or batches from.
The fruits are packed in jute sacks since the fabric guarantees constant breathability to protect the beans from moisture.
The containers are sent to Italian ports with delivery Ex Warehouse and high excess, since sacks are unloaded manually and containers are subject to fumigation to eliminate insects that could infect loads.
Before the journey continues from the warehouses towards the final destinations, i.e. the chocolate makers, the beans are cleaned with special machines to remove any impurities (stones, leaves, ferrous elements) and put into 1-ton big bags, delivered on pallets or transported in special tankers to the factory, as according to receiver needs.
What's more...
The origins of cocoa
The first cocoa trees were discovered around 1500 B.C. by the people of Central America. Initially the fruits of the tree were harvested exclusively for the raw pulp. Actual consumption of cocoa did not begin until the first Mayan civilisations who would mix powdered seeds with water and corn starch during religious ceremonies to obtain a dense, distinct drink called jom cocoa. Initially cocoa’s value was mainly spiritual. A long time would go by before the great energetic qualities and many benefits were recognised.
The benefits of cocoa
Different studies have highlighted how cocoa can bestow several benefits on the body. Its nutritional properties make it a highly energetic product, recommended for those practising sport and during the stages of adolescence and child development. Cocoa is beneficial for intellectual and cognitive activities, thanks to its phosphorus and caffeine contents, and is effective as an antidepressant. It is also beneficial for cardiovascular health and has antioxidant and anticoagulant qualities, and favours the increase of good cholesterol and immune defences. It is widely used for skincare and haircare.
The cocoa plant
Originating from Central and South America, the cocoa tree is diffused above all in Africa, which is now the number one producer in the world. The tree can reach a maximum height of 6/7 metres with its productive life lasting around 25 years. In order to grow and produce fruit it requires a hot, humid climate as well as rich soil and dense vegetation provided by bigger trees which protect it from direct sunlight and the wind. Its natural habitat is in regions with high levels of humidity and intense rain. Every year the cocoa tree has two blooming seasons. Thousands of little white (female) and pink (male) flowers only 1% of which will become fruit. The fruits called "cabosse" grow directly on the tree trunk and on its main branches. They look like giant yellow and green cucumbers of around 10/15 cm in size. After around six months, when ripe, they turn brown and red. Every tree produces from 25 to 40 cabosse containing just as many cocoa beans wrapped in a clear, jelly-like substance which is also used to produced thirst-quenching drinks or fermented to produce liquors. Annual cocoa production reaches 3 million tonnes, 2/3 of which is used to produce cocoa paste and butter and 1/3 for cocoa powder.
Cocoa processing
After harvesting the cabosse, the first processing phase is fermentation when the beans and pulp are left to ferment for 5/6 days inside special wooden boxes or crates. Sugar and anaerobic conditions favour the action of around 16 types of yeasts that convert the sugar itself into alcohol (ethanol fermentation). The yeasts then oxidise the alcohol into lactic acid (lactic fermentation) and then into acetic acid (acetic fermentation). The longer the fermentation phase, the greater the aromas emitted will be. Once fermentation is complete, the second step is drying the beans naturally (through the sun) or artificially. This can last from 7 to 15 days. On completion, roasting or toasting is next. This is performed at very high temperatures that can reach between 100 and 130° for a maximum duration of around 2 hours. Roasting results in granules of cocoa that are subject to mechanised processing to separate the shell from the seed. The final operation is grinding. The grains of cocoa are first milled roughly then more finely. The heat generated by the pressure and the rubbing action melt the cocoa butter contained in the pods resulting in a cocoa paste. The latter is then pressed to separate the butter from the part which will be subject to a further processing phase (grinding) in order to obtain cocoa powder.