Light Crop Cocoa Beans
Beans from Nigeria's mid-year light crop (roughly April to September): smaller in size and higher in bean count than main-crop beans, but properly fermented and dried — a cost-effective option for processors who can accommodate a higher count.
Product Overview
Nigeria harvests cocoa twice a year. The main crop runs from around October to February and produces the largest, heaviest beans. The light (or mid) crop follows from around April to September: yields are lower and beans are smaller, which pushes the bean count per 100 g up — but with careful fermentation and drying, light-crop beans are perfectly sound cocoa that many processors buy specifically to bridge the gap between main-crop seasons.
We handle light crop with the same procedures as main crop: box fermentation, slow sun-drying, warehouse cut-testing and FPIS grading. Because bean count is the main difference, we agree the count range in the contract and price accordingly. For buyers whose recipes and roasting profiles can accommodate smaller beans, light crop offers one of the best value propositions in West African cocoa.
Where It Is Used
- Processors needing continuous supply between main crops
- Cocoa powder and butter producers
- Cost-managed industrial chocolate recipes
- Traders covering short positions mid-year
- Blending with main-crop beans
Available Packaging
- New jute bags, 62.5 kg / 64 kg net
- Bulk in flexi-liner on request
- Kraft-lined containers with desiccant
Pack sizes. Jute bags of 62.5 kg or 64 kg net; approx. 200–250 bags per 20' container
Key Facts
- Origin
- Nigeria — Forastero (Amazon / Amelonado hybrid)
- Bean profile
- Light-crop beans, typically 100–120 beans per 100 g (confirm per lot)
- Processing
- Fermented 5–7 days, sun-dried
- Order basis
- Full container loads (20' / 40')
- Port of loading
- Lagos (Apapa / Tin Can)
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF · FCA
Specification Sheet — Light Crop Cocoa Beans
Parameters confirmed per shipment by FPIS grading and cut test; laboratory analysis and independent inspection available on request.
| Parameter | Guaranteed value | Unit | Test method / basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture content (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | ISO 2291 (oven method) / calibrated meter |
| Bean count | [Insert lab-tested value] | beans / 100 g | ISO 2451 count on representative sample |
| Mouldy beans (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Cut test – ISO 1114 |
| Slaty beans (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Cut test – ISO 1114 |
| Insect-damaged, germinated & flat beans (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Cut test – ISO 1114 |
| Well-fermented beans (min) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Cut test – ISO 1114 |
| Foreign matter & broken beans (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Visual / sieve on sample |
| Fat content (butter yield) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Laboratory analysis (on request) |
| Free fatty acid (max) | [Insert lab-tested value] | % | Laboratory analysis (on request) |
| Grade / quality certificate | [Insert lab-tested value] | — | Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS) grading |
Explore the Rest of the Range
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Grade I beans supplied as identity-preserved lots from named producing areas — for example Ondo (Idanre, Ile-Oluji) or Cross River (Ikom, Etung) — with farmer lists and farm geolocation data to support buyers' deforestation due-diligence requirements.
View productRequest Pricing for Light Crop Cocoa Beans
Tell us your tonnage, packing and destination port and we will send a detailed quotation with a sample plan.