The cocoa powder production line processes large quantities of raw cocoa beans through a series of pre-treatment stages: removing impurities, stones, and defective (damaged or moldy) beans, as well as metal contaminants, before grading them by size. The beans then proceed to the roasting and winnowing stage; a hoist transports them into a roaster-cooler unit where they are roasted—typically at temperatures between 160°C and 180°C—for a duration determined by the beans’ moisture content and the desired roast level. After cooling, the beans enter a winnowing machine, where rollers rub them to loosen the shells; the mixture then falls onto a vibrating screen to separate particles by size, while fans use airflow to suction the detached shells into a cyclone separator for storage. The winnowed cocoa nibs are discharged onto a conveyor belt and transported to a combined mill, where they are ground into cocoa liquor within the gap between the stator and rotor. A vacuum pump transfers the resulting liquor into a press, which extracts cocoa butter and cocoa cake. The cocoa cake is then conveyed through a coarse crusher and an ultrafine pulverizer to achieve the desired powder fineness, after which the finished cocoa powder is packaged.
Cocoa Powder Production Process
The complete cocoa powder production process typically involves several key stages.
Raw Cocoa Beans → Cleaning→ Roasting(Roasted cocoa beans)→ Peeling(Cocoa nibs)→ Grinding(Cocoa mass)→ Ball mill,Pressing(Cocoa cake and cocoa butter)→ Coarse Crusher,Superfine Pulverizer(Cocoa powder)→ Packing machine
Applications of Cocoa Powder Production Line
Finished cocoa powder can be widely used in the food industry.It can be used in:
Chocolate：Cocoa powder is an important ingredient in chocolate and chocolate-flavored products.
Ice Cream
Confectionery
Cakes
Cookies
Biscuits
Brownies
Pastries
Cocoa Beverages
Cocoa powder is widely used to produce hot and cold cocoa drinks
Main machines of cocoa powder production line
TZ-600 Cocoa bean roasting machine
| Size | 8500×2200×2900 |
| Roasting yield | 600kg/h |
| Variable speed motor voltage | 1.1KW |
| Electric heating power | 100KW (gas:15kg/h) |
TZ-500 Cocoa bean peeling machine
| Yield | 400–500KG/H |
| Motor power | 0.75KW |
| Peeling rate | ＞99% |
| Overall dimension | 140*70*140cm |
TZ-50 Cocoa nibs grinding machine
| Fineness (mesh) | 120-150 |
| Motor power (kw) | 1.5 |
| Capacity (kg/h) | 200-800 |
| Dimension (mm） | 500*230*700 |
TZ-320 Hydraulic oil press machine
| Yield (kg/h) | 90kg/h |
| Feeding Diameter (mm) | 320 |
| Pressure (MPa) | 70-100 |
| Dimension (mm) | 800*1100*1550 |
TZ-500 Cocoa Coarse Crusher
| Capacity (kg/h) | 150-1000 |
| Fineness of products (mesh) | 0.5-20 |
| Power (kw) | 7.5 |
| Size (mm) | 950x700x1350 |
TZ-60 Superfine Pulverizer Machine
| Production capacity (kg/h) | 200-1200 |
| Fineness of products(mesh) | 80-450 |
| Power (kw) | 84.15 |
| Spindle speed (r/min) | 2800 |
Why Choose Cocoa Powder Production Line?
A complete cocoa powder production line provides several advantages compared with processing cocoa beans using individual machines.
Higher Production Efficiency
Connected machines allow cocoa beans to move continuously through the processing stages, reducing unnecessary material handling and improving production efficiency.
Consistent Product Quality
Controlled roasting, grinding, pressing, and pulverizing processes help maintain consistent cocoa powder quality.
Reduced Labor Requirements
An automated processing line reduces manual operation and material transfer, helping manufacturers lower labor requirements.
Flexible Production
The production line can be customized according to:
- Production capacity
- Cocoa bean variety
- Desired powder fineness
- Factory layout
- Automation level
- Investment budget
Better Utilization of Cocoa Beans
The process does not only produce cocoa powder. Cocoa butter can also be recovered during pressing, creating an additional valuable product.
