SUSTAINABILITY
Protect Origin. Prove Ethics. Power Sustainable Supply Chains.
The Future of Ethical Cocoa Certification
For Manufacturers. For Certifiers. For the Planet.
You’ve mapped your supply chain. You’ve signed fair trade agreements. Your packaging tells a story of sustainability.
But behind every batch of cocoa lies a risk:
You can’t truly guarantee where your cocoa comes from — or how it was harvested.
In today’s complex, global supply chains, ethical sourcing often relies on paperwork, declarations, or inconsistent third-party audits. Beans change hands multiple times. Origins blur. And with rising scrutiny from consumers and regulators, a single misstep — a bag traced to deforestation or child labor — can destroy trust, tarnish your brand, and unravel years of sustainability efforts.
We solve that.
At Unknown Labs, we use advanced spectroscopy — including portable Raman devices — to fingerprint cocoa beans at the source and during transit. Each scan reveals geographical markers, growing conditions, and contaminants, building a secure, verifiable profile of origin and quality.
All data is instantly uploaded to the Unknown Cloud — your centralized, tamper-proof platform for real-time sourcing authentication and compliance tracking.
Whether you're certifying the production of a remote farm in Côte d'Ivoire or validating a shipment at your European factory’s gates, you gain true visibility — not just promises.
Trust, traceability, and ethical transparency — backed by science.
Simply Put…
Our tools are your smart assistant for watching over your cocoa supply — from farm to factory. They connect to handheld scanning devices and monitor what’s inside every batch of beans — without cutting, grinding, or damaging them.
The proven scientific technology behind the scan is called spectroscopy. Think of it like shining a gentle light on the beans and reading how they respond. This reveals subtle chemical clues about their origin, purity, and condition.
Our software, powered by the Unknown Cloud, translates those clues into clear, actionable insights. You’ll know exactly where your cocoa came from, whether it’s been tampered with, and if it meets your quality and ethical sourcing standards — all in real time.
Effortless traceability. Transparent sourcing. Zero guesswork.
Test at the source
Scan cocoa beans at the farm using portable Raman devices — create a unique chemical signature tied to GPS, farmer ID, and batch number.
Assign batch numbers with real data
Each scan links to a batch ID stored securely in the Unknown Cloud creating a verified digital fingerprint of origin and quality.
Test again at the processing plant
Re-scan incoming shipments at the factory. Instantly compare with original farm data to detect substitution, blending, or degradation.
Verify true origin
Match chemical markers to known regions — ensuring every bean aligns with ethical and geographic sourcing claims.
Stop fraud before it starts
Automatically flag mismatches, contaminants, or unknown suppliers before they enter production.
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Key Scientific Articles on Cocoa Bean Origin Authentication Using Spectrometry
Nondestructive Authentication of the Regional and Geographical Origin of Cocoa Beans by Using a Handheld NIR Spectrometer and Multivariate Algorithm
This study employs a handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer combined with multivariate algorithms to rapidly and nondestructively classify cocoa beans based on their regional and geographical origins.
🔗 Read the full articleStable Isotope Composition of Cocoa Beans of Different Geographical Origin
This research utilizes multi-isotopic analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ³⁴S) to characterize cocoa beans from various renowned production areas, demonstrating the effectiveness of this method in determining geographical origin.
🔗 Read the full articleAuthentication of Cocoa Products Based on Profiling and Fingerprinting Approaches: Assessment of Geographical, Varietal, Agricultural, and Processing Features
This comprehensive review discusses various analytical techniques, including Raman and mass spectrometry, for cocoa product authentication, emphasizing the importance of profiling and fingerprinting methods in determining geographical origin.
🔗 Read the full articleVolatile Fingerprint of Unroasted and Roasted Cocoa Beans (Theobroma cacao L.) from Different Geographical Origins
This study analyzes the aroma profiles of unroasted and roasted cocoa beans from 22 different geographical origins using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), enabling discrimination based on volatile compounds.
🔗 Read the full articleCocoa Bean Fingerprinting via Correlation Networks
Utilizing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data and correlation network analysis, this research distinguishes cocoa samples based on processing stages and countries of origin, offering insights into the chemical similarities and differences among samples.
🔗 Read the full article
