Cocoa beans are passed through a crusher that splits open the shell and separates it from the core of the cocoa bean. The cocoa bean can be crushed into pieces. These are called cocoa nibs.

Depending on the roasting method either the entire bean or the nibs are then roasted and ground – an essential step in ensuring the quality of the final chocolate. The product of this process is known as cocoa mass, which subsequently can be pressed to separate cocoa butter and cocoa powder.