Product lead
Ghana Cocoa Mass. 100% pure single-origin cocoa liquor.
Produced in Tema, Ghana, from COCOBOD-supplied Ghanaian cocoa beans. Beans are fermented, sun-dried and roasted, then shelled and micro-ground into a smooth, solid mass. No sugar, no additives, no fillers, no processing aids.
The base ingredient of every real chocolate bar.
Sourced direct from our partner facility in Tema. Dispatched from our UK hub in Chelmsford, Essex.
Field Test
"Just taste tested with dark β tastes better than our usual dark chocolate. Can't believe it. Great work."
UK craft chocolate maker
Cocoa Mass Β· Verified trade customer Β· April 2026
Key properties
OriginSingle-origin Ghana, West Africa
SourceTema, Ghana. Our partner facility, direct relationship
ProcessingFermented, sun-dried, roasted, shelled, micro-ground
Cocoa butter content50 to 55% (typical batch: 52.76%)
Cocoa solids45 to 50%
pH5.5 to 5.6 (10% solution)
Fineness99.7% at 75Β΅m (200 mesh)
Free fatty acid (FFA)β€1.72% as oleic acid
Moistureβ€1.0% (typical batch: 0.63%)
ColourDeep dark brown
AromaIntense, natural cocoa aroma
FormSolid blocks at room temperature, liquid when heated above 35Β°C
AdditivesNone. 100% pure cocoa
Shelf lifeUp to 24 months stored below 20Β°C at β€60% relative humidity
GradeFood-grade
CadmiumBelow 0.3 mg/kg
LeadBelow 0.1 mg/kg
ArsenicBelow 0.1 mg/kg
Copper / zinc21 mg/kg / 41 mg/kg
Heavy metals testingSGS, ICP-OES following EPA 3050 digestion Β· lots sampled March 2026
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 primary ingredient in every dark chocolate bar. Melt and combine with cocoa butter (to adjust fat content) and your chosen sweetener. Typical starting formulation: 55 to 65% cocoa mass, 10 to 15% cocoa butter, 25 to 30% sugar. Temper through controlled heating (45 to 50Β°C melt β 27Β°C cool β 31 to 32Β°C reheat) to lock in Form V crystals.
Ganache and truffles
Deep chocolate flavour, smooth texture. Adjust the cocoa mass to cream ratio for firmer or softer ganache.
Baking
Brownies, cakes, pastries where intense, unsweetened chocolate flavour is the point. Melts smoothly and blends into batters.
Hot chocolate
Grate or chop, melt into hot milk. Rich, authentic drinking chocolate.
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
What Is Cocoa Mass?
Cocoa mass is the whole cocoa bean, minus the shell, ground into a thick paste. It contains both cocoa solids (flavour, colour and cocoa flavanols) and cocoa butter (the natural fat) in their original ratio, approximately 50 to 55% fat to 45 to 50% solids.
Despite the alternative name chocolate liquor, cocoa mass contains no alcohol. "Liquor" refers to its liquid state during grinding. At room temperature it solidifies into firm blocks.
Cocoa mass is the starting point for all real chocolate. It is also the raw material from which cocoa butter and cocoa powder are pressed.
If the terminology is the sticking point, cocoa mass, chocolate liquor and couverture: what's the difference sets out what each term means and when to use which.
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 fat content, moisture, pH, fineness, free fatty acids, ash content, and full microbiological testing, covering total plate count, yeast, moulds, coliforms, E. coli, enterobacteriaceae, salmonella.
Why Buy Cocoa Mass Instead of Couverture?
Every couverture on the market starts with this. Manufacturers take cocoa mass, add extra cocoa butter, sugar, and emulsifiers, then refine and conch it into a pre-made product sold at a premium.
Buy cocoa mass direct and you skip the manufacturer's recipe and the manufacturer's margin. You control fat ratio by adding your own cocoa butter. You control sweetness. You control whether to add lecithin, vanilla, or nothing at all.
Single-origin Ghana mass gives your chocolate a flavour profile no one else on the shelf has. Couverture users all taste the same.
Comparing quotes from more than one supplier? Cocoa mass prices: what drives them, and how to compare two quotes sets out what actually moves the cost, from origin and futures through to freight and fat content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cocoa mass?
Cocoa mass, also called cocoa liquor or cocoa paste, is the whole cocoa bean ground into a smooth, liquid form. Contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter in their natural ratio (50 to 55% fat). Base ingredient for all dark chocolate.
Is cocoa mass the same as couverture?
No. Cocoa mass is the raw ingredient. Couverture is finished chocolate made from cocoa mass plus added cocoa butter, sugar, and emulsifiers. Buy cocoa mass and you buy the starting point, with full control over the finished product.
Is cocoa mass the same as cocoa powder?
No. Cocoa mass contains the full fat content of the bean (50 to 55%); cocoa powder has most of the fat pressed out (10 to 12% residual). They behave differently in recipes.
How do I use cocoa mass to make chocolate?
Melt the cocoa mass, add cocoa butter to your target fat percentage, then add sweetener. Refine in a melanger for smoother particle size. Temper (45 to 50Β°C β 27Β°C β 31 to 32Β°C) to form stable Form V crystals. Pour into moulds.
What equipment do I need?
At minimum: a melanger or ball mill for refining, a tempering setup, moulds. Tabletop melanger for 2 to 5kg batches: Β£300 to Β£800. A fraction of full bean-to-bar equipment.
How should I store cocoa mass?
Cool, dry, below 20Β°C at no more than 60% relative humidity. Away from direct sunlight and strong odours. Shelf-stable for up to 24 months in original packaging.
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.