Understanding Cocoa
Two cocoas, two visions of chocolate
It’s a bit like comparing an heirloom tomato grown in rich soil to a tasteless, mass-produced one. Fine cocoa is fragile, rare, demanding, but infinitely more expressive.
Fine cocoa: rare, expressive, demanding
Often referred to as fino de aroma, fine cocoa stands out for its exceptional organoleptic qualities: floral, fruity, tangy, or woody notes.
It’s grown in small quantities, usually under shade or in agroforestry systems, and always fermented, dried, and sorted with care.
This type of cocoa varies from one terroir to another,much like grape varieties in wine. It is selected for its sensory complexity and heritage value.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) officially recognizes certain producing countries for their share of fine cocoa, based on strict criteria (see: icco.org/fine-or-flavour-cocoa).L’Organisation internationale du cacao (ICCO) reconnaît officiellement certains pays producteurs pour leur part de cacao fin, sur la base de critères rigoureux, détaillés ici : icco.org/fine-or-flavour-cocoa
Bulk cocoa: standardized, productive, low in aroma
Bulk cocoa, also called commodity cocoa, is produced on a massive scale, primarily in West Africa.
It comes from high-yield varieties with poor aromatic expression, grown through intensive farming.
It is sold at low prices, often blended and sometimes alkalized, to meet the standards of the food industry.
This cocoa delivers a uniform, bitter, flat profile, suited to mass-market chocolate products, but incompatible with a quality-driven approach.
Bulk cocoa is what you’ll find in most industrial chocolate.
A heritage on the verge of extinction
In the early 20th century, fine cocoa made up more than 50% of global production. Today, it accounts for less than 5%.
This erosion is largely driven by the fragility of heirloom cocoa varieties and the market’s relentless pursuit of ever-higher yields.
This decline is mainly due to:
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The massive expansion of bulk cocoa farming in West Africa, now responsible for more than two-thirds of the world’s cocoa output.
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The replacement of heritage varieties with high-yield hybrids that are disease-resistant but lack aromatic complexity.
Take Ecuador, for example. Its Nacional cocoa, famous for its floral notes, is gradually being replaced by CCN-51, a hyper-productive hybrid that’s resilient… but flat in flavor.
Why preserving fine cocoa mattersPourquoi préserver le cacao fin est essentiel
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For genetic biodiversity: rare varieties are a precious resource for the future of cocoa farming
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For taste diversity: there isn’t one chocolate flavor,there are hundreds
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For sustainable agriculture: fine cocoas thrive in shaded, more resilient ecosystems
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For farmers’ livelihoods: high-value cocoa helps producers break free from low-price, high-volume models
In Peru, for example, the development of fine cocoa supply chains has doubled farmer incomes within a few years,proof that another model is possible.
(Source: AVSF – Cocoa Sector, Peru)
Orfève’s Approach
At Orfève, we work exclusively with fine, fully traceable cocoas.
Every origin is meticulously selected for its aromatic uniqueness, genetic heritage and the people who cultivate it.
Because exceptional chocolate begins with exceptional cocoa, and every variety tells a story that no industrial standard could ever replicate.