CocoaFoundry
Product Description
Ghana Cocoa Butter
Ghana Cocoa Butter. Natural Prime Press, single-origin.
Produced in Tema, Ghana, from COCOBOD-supplied Ghanaian cocoa beans. Beans are sun-dried, fermented to grade, then hydraulically pressed at our partner facility to extract the fat. Natural Prime Press — no solvents, no deodorising, no bleaching.
100% pure cocoa butter. Nothing added at any stage.
Food-grade and cosmetic-grade.
Sourced direct from our partner facility in Tema. Dispatched from our UK hub in Chelmsford, Essex.
- Origin: Single-origin Ghana, West Africa
- Source: Tema, Ghana — our partner facility, direct relationship
- Extraction: Natural Prime Press (hydraulic, no solvents)
- Type: Unrefined, undeodorised, unbleached
- Fatty acid profile: ~33–35% stearic acid, ~33–35% oleic acid, ~25–27% palmitic acid
- Slip point (melting range): 32–35°C
- Solidification point: 28.3°C (max)
- Free fatty acid (FFA): ≤1.75% (typical batch: 1.42%)
- Iodine value: 35–40
- Saponification value: 188–196
- Refractive index: 1.4560–1.4570
- Unsaponifiable matter: ≤0.35%
- Colour: Deep ivory to pale yellow (natural variation)
- Aroma: Mild, natural cocoa aroma
- Shelf life: Up to 24 months stored below 20°C at ≤60% relative humidity
- Grade: Food-grade and cosmetic-grade
- Certification: COCOBOD-certified · produced in a facility certified to ISO 22000:2018 & ISO 9001:2015 (Tema, Ghana)
How to Use
Chocolate making
The fat in every real chocolate. Combine with cocoa mass and a sweetener to build your own formulations — from 31% fat couverture-equivalent upwards. Standard temper: 45–50°C melt, 27°C cool, 31–32°C reheat. Form V crystals every time. Stearic acid at 33–35% means stable, predictable crystallisation.
Baking
Richness, moisture, and a subtle cocoa note in cakes, brownies, pastries, and ganache. Dairy-free substitute for regular butter.
Skincare and cosmetics
Solid at room temperature, melts on contact with skin. Base ingredient for body butters, lip balms, creams, lotions, salves, and soaps. Stearic and oleic acid content gives natural emollient behaviour and holds form without synthetic hardeners.
Health and wellness
Carrier fat for active ingredients in balms and topical preparations.
The Science: Fat Composition & Crystal Structure
Three fatty acids do most of the work: stearic (33–35%), oleic (33–35%), palmitic (25–27%). That combination gives cocoa butter a sharp melting profile — solid at room temperature, slip point 32–35°C, clean liquid at body temperature.
Cocoa butter can crystallise into six forms (I through VI). Only Form V produces the gloss, snap, and bloom resistance chocolatiers need. Ghana cocoa butter's higher stearic content locks into Form V more reliably than most origins. That is why it gets specified for tempering.
Natural Prime Press — hydraulic, no solvents — keeps the fatty acid profile intact. Clean, mild flavour. Won't fight other ingredients in your formulation.
Quality & Certifications
Produced in Tema, Ghana, in a facility certified to ISO 22000:2018 (Food Safety Management) and ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management).
Every batch is COCOBOD-certified and lab-verified. Certificate of Analysis covers free fatty acids, iodine value, saponification value, refractive index, slip point, and full microbiological testing — total plate count, yeast, moulds, coliforms, E. coli, enterobacteriaceae, salmonella.
The Ghana Gold Standard
COCOBOD regulation. Ghana Cocoa Board enforces mandatory quality grading at every stage: farm-gate purchase, district depot, port-side export. No other major cocoa-producing country runs this level of centralised quality control.
Post-harvest processing. 5–7 days fermentation. Sun-dried on raised platforms. That is where the flavour compounds come from.
Traceability. COCOBOD grading plus our direct relationship with the facility means every batch traces back from Tema to the Ghanaian growing regions.
Why Separate Cocoa Butter Gives You More Control
Couverture is a pre-set recipe. Fat ratio, flavour, sugar — locked in by the manufacturer. Buy cocoa butter and cocoa mass separately and you set every variable yourself.
Want 38% fat for silky ganache? Adjust the ratio. 33% for a firmer moulded bar? Same move. Pre-made product versus chocolate that is actually yours.
Per-kilogram cost drops at ingredient level. Couverture builds in a manufacturer's margin. Separate ingredients don't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourcing & Ordering
Pack Sizes
Available through our online shop. The Cocoa Taster Pack bundles 100g each of cocoa butter, cocoa mass, and cocoa nibs — the fastest way to test the core range.
Wholesale (50kg+): email wholesale@cocoafoundry.co.uk or visit the Wholesale page for trade pricing.
All orders dispatched from Chelmsford, Essex. Free delivery on orders over £50 to most UK mainland postcodes.
Certificates of Analysis: batch-specific COAs with full chemical and microbiological testing available on request. Email team@cocoafoundry.co.uk for documentation.