5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ORIGIN CACAO, COCOA POWDER
& CHOCOLATE
5 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ORIGIN CACAO, COCOA POWDER & CHOCOLATE
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Origin Cacao refers to a pure cacao paste, free from additives, made using a minimalist process to retain its natural compounds and nutrients while respecting its cultural heritage.
However, it is often mistaken for similar products, such as a mass resembling chocolate or a drink akin to hot chocolate.
To clarify, let’s explore five key differences between commodity cacao byproducts and Origin Cacao.
1. Purpose
As detailed in our article History and Chronology, cacao has been a cornerstone of many cultures and civilizations in the Americas, consumed for at least 5300 years. As far as research can tell, cacao was considered a cherished food, a symbol of wealth and played a vital role in religion, spirituality, and the social and economic systems of these societies.
As a beverage, cacao was primarily reserved for the elite, with only a select few able to experience its powerful taste and effects. Drinking cacao was a symbol of celebration and communion. It was imbued with sacred meaning, with the liquid often likened to blood, and the act of drinking seen as a way to connect with the Other World.
For a deeper take on cacao’s ancient uses and roles, head to our dedicated article.
From the 16th and 17th centuries, after Spanish and other European settlers experienced cacao firsthand, both the crop and the people who cultivated it were exploited to satisfy Europe’s growing demand. Cacao’s bold, full-bodied flavor didn’t initially appeal to most European palates, so it was soon sweetened with cane sugar—another product of colonization.
In its early adoption in Western societies, cacao retained some of its medicinal reputation and was often prescribed as a tonic to treat various symptoms, aside of being savored as an indulgence in royal courts and palaces. Over the decades, much of the knowledge and traditions associated with cacao faded away.
The substance was increasingly refined until it was overshadowed entirely by chocolate. In the 19th century, C.J. Van Houten patented a process to extract cocoa powder from roasted beans, while several European manufacturers developed methods to industrialize chocolate bar production. Around the same time, milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland and gained instant popularity.
These few centuries marked a pivotal shift in cacao’s history, reducing its cultural significance and benefits to that of a mere ingredient for sweets and confections. However, in the past decade, interest in cacao’s original purpose and value has surged, sparking efforts to reintroduce it to the world.
2. Ethics
The core distinction between Origin Cacao and its counterparts lies in producing a specialty product versus a commodity product—a contrast rooted in empowerment versus exploitation.
This issue can be examined from both social and environmental perspectives. It’s important to note that, due to the nature of the crop, the vast majority of cacao is cultivated by smallholder farmers.
Cocoa powder and industrial chocolate originate from bulk cacao, which is produced using extremely low-quality beans grown under conditions detrimental to both farmers and the plants. This system results in poor working conditions, minimal wages, and cheap raw material, perpetuating a vicious cycle that keeps growers in poverty and reliant on the industry’s low offers.
In contrast, Origin cacao is crafted from specialty cacao beans cultivated in lush, biodiverse environments. Farmers are incentivized to adopt sustainable practices, adding value to their crops. This creates a virtuous cycle where high-quality production leads to better wages, improved working conditions, and enhanced synergies within the farm’s ecosystem.
3. Post-Harvest Processes
A food’s quality is largely determined by its growing conditions and intrinsic characteristics—such as terroir, weather, variety and genetics. Yet its processing also plays a critical role and industrial methods are now widely recognized for stripping away much of a food’s inherent benefits. In the case of cacao, this counterintuitive approach to nutrition goes even further.
This paragraph examines the duality of bulk versus specialty, more specifically here of industrial versus artisanal production. Bad post-harvest practices dominate cacao industry, driven solely by profitability. Less care translates to shorter times between harvest and production, enabling faster revenue—but at what cost?
After cacao is harvested, it must first undergo fermentation to develop aroma precursors and break down its biologically “defensive” compounds, making it edible (since cacao beans are seeds). Proper fermentation, which takes 3 to 5 days, demands skill, knowledge, and patience. Beans must then be dried, a process that can take up to a week depending on the climate, to halt fermentation and reduce humidity levels for safe storage. These steps are vital for ensuring high-quality cacao and require meticulous monitoring to preserve the beans’ potential while minimizing exposure to contaminants.
Unfortunately, mass production sacrifices these essential steps for speed and profit. Freshly harvested cacao is often mixed with already fermenting batches, leading to uneven results—some beans become overly fermented and rotted, while others remain under-fermented and barely edible.
Drying practices are equally careless. Beans may be hastily dried in the sun on dusty courtyards, exposed to wandering animals and their droppings, or even laid directly on asphalt, where they absorb hazardous chemicals. In humid regions, beans are sometimes dried over fires, leading to overheating and contamination with smoke.
These negligent practices result in cacao of such poor quality that the damage must be masked during subsequent industrial processing steps.
For a detailed take on good post-harvest practices, head on to Cacao Processing.
4. Transformation Process
Nobody wants to eat or drink chocolate that tastes rotten, smoky, or rubbery. To address these unpleasant flavors, the chocolate industry developed a process to mask defects, make cacao edible, and create an appealing taste. This is achieved through over-roasting and the use of additives.
Uneven fermentation and improper drying give cacao beans harsh, unpleasant aromas, but the issue doesn’t stop there: flawed post-harvest practices also raise health concerns. Over-roasting, or essentially burning the beans, serves a dual purpose: it kills potentially harmful bacteria and simplifies processing. High temperatures facilitate faster husking (winnowing) and smoother grinding as they make the fat-containing molecules in the beans more fragile—a crucial shortcut in industrial chocolate production.
Burning beans is one thing but what about the resulting burnt flavor?
In the case of chocolate production, this challenge is resolved with a blend of additives. Cocoa butter and lecithin smooth out the texture, while sugar and vanilla mask any lingering off-notes, creating the standardized chocolate flavor we all recognize. In milk chocolate, powdered milk also contributes to this flavor-masking process.
In cocoa powder production, a similar tactic is employed with a different approach. After being burned, beans are processed into a mass that undergoes alkalization—a chemical treatment designed to reduce acidity and create a darker, more visually appealing powder.
This mass is then subjected to intense pressure to separate its fat (cocoa butter) from its solids (cocoa powder). The resulting powder is often blended with sugar, completing the transformation.
Industrial production adheres to quality standards that are worlds apart from those of Origin Cacao or bean-to-bar chocolate. In these artisanal processes, minimalism, patience, and precision take center stage.
5. Taste & Benefits
Heavy processing takes a significant toll on both flavor and nutritional value.
As mentioned earlier, one clear consequence of such harsh methods is the standardization of taste. When beans must be burned and refined to make their flavor even marginally acceptable, we lose the incredible diversity and complexity cacao naturally offers. The industry prioritizes hybrid varieties selected for higher yield and resilience—a focus that has, over decades, drastically reduced the range of cacao genetics. This trend has also driven unsustainable farming practices.
This exploitative approach further distances us from understanding cacao’s true nature and potential. Neglect during cultivation, combined with aggressive production techniques, destroys the minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds that cacao originally contains.
All of this comes at a steep price for what amounts to cheap and instant gratification.
CONCLUSION
Understanding the intricacies of cacao production and recognizing good versus bad practices empowers you with the luxury of choice: the choice between highly processed, heavily altered cacao byproducts and meticulously crafted, pure, and rich cacao mass.
By advocating for coherent and virtuous cacao production while promoting more thoughtful consumption habits, we strive to make the real, authentic product more accessible to everyone.
SOURCES
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
• Cameron L. McNeil, ed., Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao, Maya Studies. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2006. ISBN 9780813033822.
• Presilla, Maricel E. (2009). The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes. Ten Speed Press.
• Patchett, Marcos. The Secret Life of Chocolate. London: Aeon Books, 2020. ISBN 978‑1‑911597‑06‑3.
• Coe, Sophie D., and Michael D. Coe. The True History of Chocolate. 3rd ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2013. ISBN 978‑0‑500‑29068‑2.
