A laboratory in Perugia is conducting quality checks on cocoa beans, assessing fermentation levels and identifying defects. This meticulous process is led by chocolate scientist Julien Simonis.
Key points
Laboratory located in Perugia
Conducts quality checks on cocoa beans
Led by chocolate scientist Julien Simonis
Assesses fermentation levels and defects
Uses sensory and visual evaluation techniques
Mentioned in this story
Julien SimonisCacao of ExcellencePerugia
Julien Simonis, Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, smells and meticulously inspects halved cocoa beans during a physical quality evaluation at the laboratory in Perugia. This sensory and visual assessment allows for the immediate verification of fermentation levels and the identification of aromatic potential or internal defects in the samples
Julien Simonis, Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, smells and meticulously inspects halved cocoa beans during a physical quality evaluation at the laboratory in Perugia. This sensory and visual assessment allows for the immediate verification of fermentation levels and the identification of aromatic potential or internal defects in the samples
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Chocolate scientist Julien Simonis gazes upon 50 cacao beans that have just been sliced in half by something he calls "the guillotine." A distinctive aroma wafts upward. This is among the first steps in characterizing the quality of a particular cacao.
In central Rome, Julien Simonis holds a tiny bar of chocolate made from cacao beans that originated in Hawaii. He cracks it into pieces before unwrapping the gold foil that surrounds it. Simonis places a morsel on his tongue and then breathes in through his mouth and out through his nose to heighten his perception of the chocolate's aroma and taste.
A look of reverence comes over him.
"My god," he whispers. "Each time I taste this, I'm always amazed. You have a boost of acidity. This burst of fresh flavors." Simonis detects a fruitiness and a hint of cardamom and nutmeg.
When he does the same thing with a bit of chocolate produced from cacao harvested on a Peruvian farm, he describes a flavor of raisins that gives way to a nuttiness. "It's extremely creamy," Simonis says.
Q&A
What is the purpose of the laboratory in Perugia for chocolate quality?
The laboratory conducts sensory and visual assessments to verify fermentation levels and identify defects in cocoa beans.
Who is Julien Simonis and what role does he play in chocolate quality assessment?
Julien Simonis is the Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, overseeing the quality evaluation of cocoa beans.
How are cocoa beans evaluated for quality in the laboratory?
Cocoa beans are sliced in half and inspected for aroma, fermentation levels, and internal defects during the evaluation process.
What techniques are used to assess the quality of cocoa beans?
Techniques include sensory evaluation, visual inspection, and immediate verification of fermentation levels.
See every story in News — including breaking news and analysis.
Every cacao is different. "Cacao has an incredible amount of genetic variety," says Simonis. But for a long time, there wasn't a standard way of comparing the dizzying array of beans produced on farms across the tropics. This is unlike wine with its sommeliers or coffee with its Q graders — people who taste and systematically compare and rate those products using an internationally agreed-upon rubric.
But there were those in the chocolate biz who wanted to raise the bar. And so, in 2009, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, a sustainable agriculture nonprofit headquartered in Rome, started a program called Cacao of Excellence. And they asked Simonis — a chocolate scientist who now serves as program manager — to help them develop a standardized way of preparing and evaluating cacao.
"It's been revised, it's been adapted, it's been challenged," says Simonis.
It took years, but the team now has a process they stand behind — and Simons says that globally, several thousand producers, traders and stakeholders are using it each day.
A technician holds a whole, dried cocoa pod at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory. According to the initiative's quality standards, proper drying is vital, as it reduces moisture from 60% to approximately 7% to prevent mold and develop flavor precursors. Led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the lab analyzes samples from over 50 origins to recognize superior cocoa quality.
Once dried, cacao pods are brown. But when fresh, they can be vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow and green. And they come in all shapes and sizes, reflecting their "incredible amount of genetic variety," says Simonis.
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Having such standards could do a lot for the cacao industry. "Harmonizing the way of talking about a food product," Simonis explains, allows buyers and sellers to review, discuss and appreciate the differences.
And this in turn could help persuade consumers to pay more for higher quality chocolate. Some of this money can find its way back to the farmers — and it could make a big difference, especially for those operating on smaller scales.
"A lot of the cacao producers live under the poverty limits," says Simonis. "There are a lot of economical challenges because a lot of the cacao producers are living in very rural, very inaccessible places." This applies across the board but is particularly true for the Ivory Coast and Ghana where more than half of the world's cacao is produced.
Lab Assistant Julia Butac and Programme Manager Julien Simonis perform the demolding process at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory in Perugia. After the chocolate has cooled and contracted, the bars are carefully removed from their molds, a final step that confirms the success of the tempering process through the chocolate's characteristic snap and glossy finish
Each chocolate, identically processed, is wrapped in gold foil. It's the final step of preparation before the samples are distributed for tasting and evaluation. Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
A chef handles molds filled with chocolate as workers prepare artisan bars during a production session in Perugia, May 6, 2026. This final stage of molding requires the trays to be vibrated or tapped to remove air bubbles before being placed in a cooling environment to solidify. The process ensures that the finished chocolate bars have a smooth texture and a uniform appearance
The tempered chocolate is poured into a set of small chocolate molds that are rapped upon the table to remove any air bubbles before chilling.Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Technicians use tweezers to meticulously sort through cocoa nibs at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory in Perugia. This manual selection phase, which follows roasting and winnowing, is critical for removing any remaining shell fragments or impurities. Ensuring the absolute purity of the nibs before grinding is an essential step in creating a flawless cocoa liquor, allowing for the precise sensory evaluation of unique aromatic profiles from cocoa producers worldwide.
Once roasted, the shells are separated from the bean fragments, which are called nibs. Some of this is done by machine but the smallest pieces must be separated by hand. "It's really physical work," lab assistant Julia Butac says of the whole process.
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
A transcendent transformation
The standardized processing of the cacao takes place at a lab tucked inside the Chocolate Experience Museum in hilly Perugia, about a hundred miles north of Rome.
To begin, lab assistant Julia Butac empties a burlap bag of beans into a bin and starts to sift them a couple handfuls at a time, removing anything that isn't a full bean. "It's really physical work," she says, acknowledging the rigorousness of the method.
Butac is from the Philippines and was never a huge chocolate fan, but this process has given her a deeper appreciation for it.
"To see the development of the flavor like fruit, nuts, spice, it satisfies you," she explains. Butac coos when she considers her relationship with the chocolate she works with each week. "Ooooh, it's my baby." she says. "I need to care, I need to look after it."
Butac proceeds to slice in half 50 of the beans nearly simultaneously with something akin to a guillotine. A chocolatey fragrance wafts into the air, mixed with notes of citrus. She records her impressions on a spreadsheet.
A close-up view of a specialist's hands inspecting dried cocoa beans at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory in Perugia. This rigorous selection and physical analysis are the first steps in the evaluation process to identify superior flavor profiles. Led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the initiative aims to reward excellence in cocoa production and support the livelihoods of farmers globally.
The beans are placed on a tray for roasting. This warming helps awaken the cacao into a fuller, more intoxicating version of itself.
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill. Each step further awakens the cacao into a fuller, more intoxicating version of itself.
Butac then cools the milled cacao, mixes in a precise amount of sugar and cocoa butter, and tempers it before pouring the resulting chocolate into a set of small molds.
She says that like people, each kind of cacao is special. "I'm discovering that they have different qualities," she says. "We have different qualities also."
Lab Assistant Julia Butac poses for a portrait at the Cacao of Excellence laboratory in Perugia. As part of the technical team, she assists in the physical and sensory analysis of cocoa samples from around the world, supporting the organization's mission to establish global quality standards and reward the flavor diversity of superior cocoa origins.
Butac is from the Philippines and was never a huge chocolate fan, but her involvement with the Cacao of Excellence program has given her a deeper appreciation for it. Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
Lifting up cacao and those who produce it
Those two chocolates that Simonis tasted — the one from Hawaii and the other from Peru — had been processed and prepared identically in Perugia. But they have two very different personalities.
"Just realize that the difference in these chocolates [is] only coming from the cacao bean," he says. "Despite the recipe being exactly the same, flavors are completely different."
Simonis relies on a panel of 15 trained professional tasters to evaluate a chocolate's unique blend of acidity, bitterness, astringency and more. The result is a standardized way of comparing chocolate, allowing cacao to be priced and valued according to its quality.
More and more people are joining the program. There's a charge for trainings and certification but access to resources including a step-by-step guide to cacao processing and the flavor wheel that the official tasters use to do their evaluations are free. "We are trying to work with every single producing country in the world," he adds.
ulien Simonis, Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, poses for a portrait at the Chocolate Museum in Perugia. Simonis leads the initiative, managed by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, which establishes global standards for cocoa quality. By analyzing thousands of samples from over 50 origins, the program aims to incentivize farmers, safeguard genetic diversity, and ensure the sustainability of the cocoa supply chain
Simonis says that each chocolate is its own blend of flavor and personality. As for which one he prefers, "it really depends on my mood and on the time of the day," he says. Valerio Muscella for NPR
Valerio Muscella for NPR
That includes a rainy part of Thailand where Roong Kumpan founded TinTin Chocolate. He says joining the program, which also recognized his small family farm with an award, helped to raise their visibility. The team in Italy also showed Kumpan how to enhance his product by improving the fermentation and drying steps.
"Cacao of Excellence gives small producers a chance to be seen and recognized internationally, he says. "I believe it will help increase my income in the future."
In fact, some cacao producers have already seen improved revenue as a result of their involvement with the program. For instance, the Juan Laura farm in the forests of Peru has reported a 30% increase in sales. Rosaura Laura, who runs the operation, says the extra income is about more than just the money.
"I think this is a good way to dignify the laborers and change the mind of people regarding the farmers," she says, referring to the way in which farmers in general tend to be looked down upon in their country.
Above all, Laura believes that this effort is allowing cacao producers, buyers and consumers to speak the same language — one that's able to describe the magic of the beans that we coax into that other worldly stuff called chocolate.
Julien Simonis, Programme Manager for Cacao of Excellence, explains the physical quality evaluation of cocoa beans to visitors through a glass partition at the Chocolate Museum. Simonis demonstrates the sensory and visual analysis process, which involves inspecting halved beans to verify fermentation levels and aromatic potential.
The Cacao of Excellence's laboratory is housed within the Chocolate Experience Museum in Perugia, Italy, which allows visitors to observe the work of the researchers and technicians firsthand. Valerio Muscella for NPR
