Part II: Quality Standards Used in the Cocoa Trade

The aspects of quality that have been described cover the subject in its broadest sense and all have a bearing on the price paid for beans from a particular source compared with other sources.

The aspects of quality that have been described cover the subject in its broadest sense and all have a bearing on the price paid for beans from a particular source compared with other sources. In a narrower sense “quality” may refer solely to the first two aspects: flavour and purity or wholesomeness and it is these aspects that are covered, at least in part, by various cocoa standards used by the trade.

These standards must use objective measurements. They cannot measure or ensure good flavour although they can, by means of the cut test (see Appendix A), detect gross flavour defects. The standards can also help to ensure good keeping quality.

There are various standards of which the most important are the International Cocoa Standards and the standards as defined in the physical contracts of the Federation of Cocoa Commerce, Ltd. (FCC) and, in the United States, the Cocoa Merchants Association of America, Inc. (CMAA).

It is worth mentioning that there are quality standards dictated in the cocoa futures contracts, used by market participants to hedge their physical commitments, however a chocolate manufacturer is not likely to source their beans through these markets as they are not designed for that purpose.