Custom cocoa beans are a precious commodity. You want to make sure they stay fresh to retain their full flavor. With proper storage, your cocoa beans will be kept safe from costly problems. Here are four simple storage tips that will help you keep your cocoa beans fresh and flavorful.

Prevent Mold

Mold can destroy cocoa beans. To prevent mold growth, you should control the moisture inside the storage area. One way to do that is to ensure proper ventilation. Exhaust fans should be installed to remove moisture from the room. If excess moisture is a problem in the storage area, you should also consider installing a dehumidifier. With proper monitoring, you can keep moisture away from your cocoa beans.

Keep Off the Floor

When storing cocoa beans in bulk bags, they should not be stored on the floor. Instead, store your bulk bags of cocoa beans on pallets. The pallets will allow air to circulate, which will prevent moisture from building up under – and in – the bags. For maximum circulation of fresh air around the bags, make sure that the stack of bags does not reach the ceiling, and that they don't rest up against walls.

Control the Pests

Pests can be a real problem around fresh cocoa beans. To keep them from destroying your investment, you should monitor the storage area for signs of pest activity. One pest problem you need to watch for is the cocoa moth.  Bags of cocoa beans may contain the moth eggs. When they hatch, you can end up with a warehouse full of moths. To control the problem, keep the storage area swept and clean. Set moth traps up to capture as many moths as possible. If possible, you should heat treat the shipments of cocoa beans you receive. Heat treating the cocoa beans will kill eggs and larvae.

Store Your Cocoa Beans Alone

To prevent contamination, your cocoa beans should be stored alone. If you're going to be storing other food items, you should devote one section of your storage area or warehouse to your cocoa beans. This will ensure that your cocoa beans don't come in contact with anything that could harm them.

You want to protect your custom cocoa beans. The information provided here will help you store your cocoa beans under optimum conditions. For other tips on how to preserve your cocoa beans, be sure to speak to your food custom cocoa bean supplier.