Dutch-process cocoa

We are a family business and we run production ourselves, on site. There is no middleman between us and you. We keep packaging simple, buy in bulk and run an efficient workshop. Every saving we make is passed on to you.

Cocoa is a traded commodity. The price reacts to weather, demand, politics and new laws. For example, the EU sets limits on how much heavy metal cocoa may contain. That makes low-heavy-metal cocoa rarer and more in demand — and so more expensive.

Cocoa mass is the pure, solid paste made entirely from the inside of the cocoa bean. Nothing else is in it.

None. Three names for the same thing. “Liquor” only means the paste flows when warm — there is no alcohol in it.

No. Our powder is made only from the cocoa mass — the inside of the bean. Some brands grind down the cocoa pod, the shell (husk) and the pulp and blend them into the expensive cocoa mass to add weight. You will see packs saying “made from 100% cocoa pod”. The pod is not the part you eat — it is the case the beans are stripped out of.

20–22%. Under EU law a powder must contain at least 20% cocoa butter to be called cocoa powder; below that it must be labelled “fat-reduced cocoa”. Ours sits at the full-fat end. The cocoa butter gives a smooth mouthfeel, deeper colour and a rounder chocolate taste.

Natural — not treated with alkali, pH 5–6. Sharper, slightly sour, fruity, lighter brown. Alkalised (also called Dutch) — treated with a small amount of alkaline salt. Milder, rounder, less sour, darker, mixes into liquid more easily. Raw — from beans not roasted, or only lightly roasted; strong, bitter, grassy. Ours is alkalised at a medium level (pH 7.8–8.2): an intense red-brown colour that does not fade, full cocoa body, creamy chocolate flavour and roasted notes.

Treating the cocoa with an alkaline salt to soften the acidity and deepen the colour. We use only natural salts, sourced mainly from Germany and Italy. Nothing else is added.

It keeps the minerals and fibre naturally in the bean — magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and copper — plus the cocoa butter. Alkalising does lower the level of flavanols, the antioxidant compounds, compared with natural cocoa. Exact amounts are on the nutrition panel on the pack.

Central-west Africa. The soil there carries very few volcanic deposits, one reason the cocoa is naturally low in heavy metals. We buy premium grade.

After the pods are opened, the wet beans are piled up at source and covered with banana leaves for about five days. The waxy leaves hold the heat in and the beans ferment naturally. Fermentation is what creates chocolate flavour: it reduces bitterness and builds the compounds that become chocolate taste during roasting. Beans dried without fermenting taste bitter and flat. The alternative is large wooden boxes — easier to standardise at industrial scale, but a different, often sharper profile.

After fermenting, the beans go from around 60% moisture down to about 7%. Sun-drying does this slowly, letting the sharp acids escape. Drying too fast leaves the beans sour and hardens the outside. Machine dryers are faster, but where hot air and smoke touch the beans directly they can pick up a smoky taste. Ours are laid out and dried slowly under the African sun.

Yes. The high cocoa butter content suits ice cream: a strong cocoa flavour, a smooth texture and a deep colour that does not fade. It works in homemade ice cream too.

All cocoa does — the plant takes up trace metals from the soil. How much depends on where it grows and how carefully it is sourced. Cocoa from South America often runs higher, because the soil there holds more volcanic deposits. Ours comes from central-west Africa, where volcanic deposits are very low. We source premium cocoa within the EU limits set by Regulation (EU) 2023/915.

No. Added sugar is 0 g. Naturally occurring sugars from the bean are 0.9 g per 100 g.

Yes. It contains none of the 14 EU allergens. Gluten is below 20 ppm. It is vegan and vegetarian — no ingredients of animal origin.

Dry, away from strong odours, ideally at 15–20 °C with humidity under 50%.

No. Cocoa is a 500 g Dutch-process powder at 270 CZK. Pudding is a separate vanilla mix.

No. The price applies at pick-up. Tracked delivery, packaging and insurance are extra.