Cocoa: Beloved Across the World
The Aztecs and Mayans used cacao beans as currency in ancient South America. Today the cocoa industry has flourished into a multi-billion-dollar market. No matter the century, cocoa is a crowd-pleaser, from dark chocolate concentrate confections to melt-in-your-mouth baked goods with decadent fudgy or even floral flavors. We have cocoa extracts and chocolate flavorings to inspire even more indulgence.
![Cocoa extract in chocolate brownies](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_Header.jpg)
Custom Flavor from Cake Mixes to Mousses
Our flavorists work side-by-side with you to craft the desired taste—even if you’re not sure what that is yet. We work around application challenges daily, like cocoa-flavored baked goods that must withstand high heat and remain deliciously chocolatey, all while using the least amount of raw material.
![Cocoa beans that produce chocolate concentrate flavoring options](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/shutterstock_2027333195-1024x394.jpg)
Sustainable Cocoa
Through our Fairtrade™ certification, we ensure that cocoa production is equitable to the people who make their living cultivating the crop and the land where it grows. We also have clean label, natural, non-GMO, organic-certified, and organic-compliant options.
What’s Your Craving?
![Chocolate flavorings for dessert toppings](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_1.jpg)
Chocolate Flavors
Milk chocolate liquor with Sicilian orange. White chocolate milkshake. Dark chocolate fudge. Puddings or liquors or syrups—we can do it all.
![Cocoa extract in a candy bar with nuts](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_2.jpg)
Profile Keys
Sweet. Bitter. Fruity. Earthy. Woody. Floral. Roasted. Nutty. Spicy. Creamy. Milky. Buttery. We can go on and on.
![Chocolate concentrate in hard candies](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_3.jpg)
Indulgent Profiles
If you can taste it, we can make it. Brownie. Cake batter. Chocolate chip cookie bars. Lava cake. Red velvet. Black forest. S’mores.
![Cocoa extract in a candy bar with nuts](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_4.jpg)
Flavor Pairings
Add new depth with butterscotch. Bourbon. Browned butter caramel. Maple. Molasses. Peppermint. Lavender. Chai. Walnut. Almond. [Insert thousands of more flavors here.]
Complex Indulgence.
Select your base cocoa flavor, whether it’s perfectly bitter or buttery or floral. Then keep building with more indulgent or fresh extracts and concentrates.
![Chocolate concentrate in cake pops](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_Pop-1024x1024.jpg)
A powdery-sweet hot chocolate mix springs to life with warm milk. Fudgy cake pops with a dash of spice surprise the senses. Chocolate cake donut protein bars make a filling snack and dessert at the same time.
A well-rounded back-to-basics chocolate can’t go wrong. But exploring the unusual and delightful captures consumers’ desires for the new and evolving. Flavor profile building is a favorite pastime for our expert flavorists, whether it is creating characterizing tastes or developing the perfect notes.
Cocoa Applications
A chocolate creamer for a mocha coffee? A white chocolate almond muffin? A milk-chocolate-mint post-workout shake? Yes, please.
![Chocolate flavoring in chocolate milk](https://www.virginiadare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VDR_Cocoa_CTA.jpg)
How We Work Together
We help you with R&D, prototyping, market research, and of course, the flavor. It takes a village to bring a product to the shelves. Rest assured that we bring preferred taste to any application.