


The precise amount of fat in a bean is influenced by its genetic makeup and the environment it grows in the amount of fat can actually change throughout the course of the year. Approximately half of the cocoa bean is fat. Cocoa beans, as they’re commonly called, come from the Theobroma cacao tree, native to South America.

Your local supermarket may not carry it but you can often to find it in specialized health food stores or online. Pure pressed cocoa butter is quite difficult to find, however. Some sources say you can substitute cocoa butter for cacao butter, which you can, but they’re actually the same thing, so that’s a bit redundant. As the fat of the cacao bean, this plant-based ingredient has the distinct flavor and aroma of cocoa beans. Cocoa butter is a pure, stable plant fat that is both a base ingredient in chocolate and popular for emulsifying body creams and facial moisturizers.
