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CocoaFoundry
Cocoa Butter, Single Origin Ghana, Food Grade, Undeodorised, Natural Prime Press
Β£3.55
Product lead
Ghana Cocoa Butter. Natural Prime Press, single-origin.
Produced in Tema, Ghana, from COCOBOD-supplied Ghanaian cocoa beans. Beans are fermented, sun-dried and roasted, then hydraulically pressed at our partner facility to extract the fat. Natural Prime Press, with no solvents, no deodorising and 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.
Field Test
"Really happy with the cocoa butter. It's good stuff again, keep that supply as I'll keep buying."
UK craft chocolate maker
Cocoa Butter Β· Verified trade customer
Key properties
OriginSingle-origin Ghana, West Africa
SourceTema, Ghana. Our partner facility, direct relationship
ExtractionNatural Prime Press (hydraulic, no solvents)
TypeUnrefined, undeodorised, unbleached
Fatty acid profileTypically ~33 to 35% stearic, ~33 to 35% oleic, ~25 to 27% palmitic. Published figures for cocoa butter as a class, not a batch measurement. The certified values for your batch are the ones below.
Slip point (melting range)32 to 35Β°C
Solidification point28.3Β°C (max)
Free fatty acid (FFA)β€1.72% (typical batch: 1.42%)
Iodine value35 to 40
Saponification value188 to 196
Refractive index1.4560 to 1.4570
Unsaponifiable matterβ€0.35%
ColourDeep ivory to pale yellow (natural variation)
AromaMild, natural cocoa aroma
Shelf lifeUp to 24 months stored below 20Β°C at β€60% relative humidity
GradeFood-grade and cosmetic-grade
CertificationCOCOBOD-certified Β· produced in a facility certified to ISO 22000:2018 & ISO 9001:2015 (Tema, Ghana)
Batch-specific COAs available on request Β· team@cocoafoundry.co.uk
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 to 50Β°C melt, 27Β°C cool, 31 to 32Β°C reheat. Form V crystals every time. Cocoa butter typically runs 33 to 35% stearic acid, and that saturated fraction is what gives stable, predictable crystallisation. Step by step: how to temper single-origin Ghana cocoa butter.
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 Ghana 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 to 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.
The detail
The Science: Fat Composition & Crystal Structure
Three fatty acids do most of the work: stearic (33 to 35%), oleic (33 to 35%), palmitic (25 to 27%). Those are published figures for cocoa butter as a class rather than a specification for any single batch, and our Certificates of Analysis carry no fatty acid breakdown. What they do report, batch by batch, is slip point, free fatty acids, iodine value, saponification value and refractive index. That combination gives cocoa butter a sharp melting profile, solid at room temperature, slip point 32 to 35Β°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. The stearic fraction is what drives tight, uniform crystals, which is why cocoa butter is well suited to Form V and why Ghana butter gets specified for tempering work.
Natural Prime Press, hydraulic and solvent free, keeps the fatty acid profile intact. Clean, mild flavour. Won't fight other ingredients in your formulation.
The longer version, with the crystal forms set out one by one: understanding cocoa butter, fat content and crystal structure.
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, covering total plate count, yeast, moulds, coliforms, E. coli, enterobacteriaceae, salmonella.
See the documents for yourself: product specification sheet (PDF) and sample Certificate of Analysis (PDF).
Why Separate Cocoa Butter Gives You More Control
Couverture is a pre-set recipe. Fat ratio, flavour and sugar, all 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
What is cocoa butter used for?
Chocolate making (texture, snap, mouthfeel), baking (richness and moisture), and skincare (base for creams, lip balms, body butters). It is the fat extracted from cocoa beans, and the core fat in all chocolate production.
Can I use this instead of buying couverture?
Yes. Couverture is cocoa mass + extra cocoa butter + sugar, refined and conched. Buy cocoa mass and cocoa butter separately and you control fat percentage, sweetness and flavour, at a lower per-kilogram cost than branded couverture.
What is the difference between refined and unrefined cocoa butter?
Unrefined keeps the natural cocoa aroma, colour, and nutrient fraction. Refined butter has been deodorised and bleached, with scent and most of the natural properties stripped. Ours is unrefined. Nothing added. Nothing removed. The flavour consequences are set out in deodorized vs undeodorized cocoa butter.
What makes single-origin Ghana cocoa butter different?
Ghana cocoa butter is widely specified for chocolate work because of its stearic fraction, typically around 33 to 35% in published figures for cocoa butter as a class, not a batch measurement. Harder fat, sharper melt profile, better crystallisation during tempering. What we certify batch by batch is slip point, free fatty acids and the identity values on the Certificate of Analysis.
Is your cocoa butter food grade?
Yes. COCOBOD-certified, lab-verified, sourced direct from our partner facility in Tema. Suitable for food and cosmetic use.
How should I store cocoa butter?
Cool, dry, below 20Β°C, β€60% RH. Away from direct sunlight and strong odours, because cocoa butter absorbs smells. Properly stored, shelf life is up to 24 months.
Sourcing & Ordering
Pack Sizes
100g250g500g1kg2kg5kg10kg15kg20kg
Available through our online shop up to 20kg. The Cocoa Taster Pack bundles 100g each of cocoa butter, cocoa mass and natural cocoa powder, the fastest way to test the core range.
Trade & Bulk (25kg+): email wholesale@cocoafoundry.co.uk or visit the Wholesale page for trade pricing, quoted within 24 hours.
All orders dispatched from Chelmsford, Essex. Free delivery on orders over Β£50 to most UK mainland postcodes.
Certificates of Analysis: batch-specific COAs with full chemical and microbiological testing available on request. Download a sample COA (PDF) or email team@cocoafoundry.co.uk for documentation.