Cocoa beans are strictly separated according to different varieties. Then, after being carefully cleaned and sieved, they are roasted by hot air in roasting machines. These are either gratings that are arranged on top of each other, or large rotating drums.

Cocoa’s typical flavour and the beans’ final, dark-brown colour develop at air temperatures of between 130°C and 150°C. The shells loosen and separate from the nibs. Depending on the desired degree of roasting, this procedure lasts between 10 to 35 minutes.