Best Cocoa Butter for Chocolatiers in Canada: Venezuelan, Peruvian, and Coloring Grades

Short answer: for chocolate work in Canada, choose pure cocoa butter by origin and format (Venezuelan KKO Real or natural Peruvian), and choose coloured cocoa butter by the job: Pavoni Chocolart for ready-to-use colours, Seasons for colours from plant extracts, and Dolce Velluto sprays for a velvet finish without an airbrush. Pure cocoa butter thins couverture, goes into ganache, white chocolate and velvet mixtures, and is the base for colours you make yourself. Below: what each grade does, how to use it, prices per kg and which one to buy.

Cocoa butter is one of the most versatile ingredients in a professional chocolate and pastry kitchen. It adjusts chocolate viscosity for thin-shell bonbons, carries fat-soluble colorants for colored bonbon work, creates velvet finishes on entremets, and adds richness to ganaches and baked goods. Choosing the right grade — food-grade pure, coloring-grade, or ready-to-use velvet spray — depends on the application. This guide covers every cocoa butter option available at Zucchero Canada, with live prices and clear application guidance.

Quick answer: which cocoa butter for which job

Your job	Choose	Price
Thinning couverture, ganache, white chocolate, bean-to-bar recipes	Natural Peruvian cocoa butter, 8 kg box	$550.00 CAD
A Venezuelan single-origin story, from bean to bar	KKO Real Venezuelan cocoa butter	See collection
Coloured bonbon shells, ready to use	Pavoni Chocolart coloured cocoa butter, 200 g	$79.99 CAD
Your own colours from pure cocoa butter	Chocolart fat-soluble powder, 40 g	$46.99 CAD
Colours from plant extracts	Seasons natural cocoa butter concentrate, 200 g	$73.99 CAD
Velvet finish with no airbrush	Dolce Velluto velvet spray, 400 ml	$56.99 CAD

The three categories of cocoa butter for professional use

Category	What it is	Best for
Food-grade pure cocoa butter	100% deodorized or natural cocoa butter, no additives	Viscosity adjustment, ganache enrichment, baking, tempering applications
Coloring-grade cocoa butter	Cocoa butter pre-mixed with food-safe colorants, ready to melt and apply	Colored bonbon shells, mold decoration, full-color chocolate mass
Velvet spray cocoa butter	Cocoa butter + colorant in pressurized spray can, no airbrush needed	Velvet finish on frozen entremets and mousse cakes, chocolate decorations, plated desserts

Why cocoa butter matters in chocolate work

Cocoa butter decides how chocolate flows and how it sets. In Canada, cocoa butter must be the only fat in chocolate; vegetable fats are not allowed. The amount of cocoa butter is largely responsible for a chocolate's viscosity, and moulded pieces need a more fluid chocolate so it runs easily into the moulds. That is why chocolatiers add pure cocoa butter to thin couverture for finer shells.

Cocoa butter can also set into six crystal forms, numbered I to VI. Tempering guides as much of it as possible into Form V (Beta-5), the form that gives gloss and snap. Above about 34°C (93°F), Beta-5 crystals are destroyed, so cocoa butter you add to tempered chocolate must not take it above that point. Our guide to tempering chocolate covers the full process.

Food-Grade Pure Cocoa Butter

Both of our pure cocoa butters are 100% cocoa butter. They differ in origin, maker, form and format.

	KKO Real (Venezuela)	Natural Peruvian
Origin and maker	100% Venezuelan cocoa, made in Venezuela by Procesadora Cacao Real	Pressed from fine-flavour Peruvian cacao
Type	Single ingredient; the 20 kg box is natural (non-deodorised)	Natural, not deodorised: it keeps the cacao aroma
Form	Pieces, in a 1 kg tub	Easy-melt wafers
Melting / softening	Melting point 28–35°C (82–95°F)	Softens between 34 and 38°C (93–100°F)
Formats	1 kg tub, 20 kg box	1 kg bag, 8 kg box, 15 kg box

1. KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter — Best for single-origin Venezuelan production

100% Venezuelan cocoa · 1 kg tub and 20 kg box · KKO Real, made by Procesadora Cacao Real

KKO Real cocoa butter is a single-ingredient cocoa butter made in Venezuela by Procesadora Cacao Real from 100% Venezuelan cocoa. The 1 kg tub is packed in pieces; the 20 kg box is natural (non-deodorised) cocoa butter from Venezuelan fine cacao with a high Criollo content, grown near the Caribbean Sea. Pure, food-grade, no additives. Choose it when Venezuelan origin is part of your product story.

For bean-to-bar producers, chocolatiers, and pastry chefs building a product around Venezuelan single-origin ingredients, pair it with our Sur del Lago cocoa beans from Venezuela (1.5 kg bag $80.00 CAD): beans, butter and finished chocolate all Venezuelan. Procesadora Cacao Real lists the butter for tempering, adjusting chocolate fluidity, bonbons, ganache, coloured cocoa butter and baking.

• Origin: Venezuela (100% Venezuelan cocoa)
• Grade: Food-grade, pure, single ingredient
• Melting point: 28–35°C (82–95°F)
• Format: 1 kg tub (from $69.95 CAD) · 20 kg box ($1,200.00 CAD)
• Best for: Bean-to-bar, Venezuelan single-origin production, ganache, adjusting chocolate fluidity

Zucchero Canada is the exclusive distributor of KKO Real in Canada.

View KKO Real cocoa butter and check availability →

2. Peruvian Cocoa Butter — Mid-size boxes for regular production

100% Peruvian fine cacao · Natural, not deodorised · 1 kg bag, 8 kg and 15 kg boxes · 8 kg box $550.00 CAD

Our Peruvian cocoa butter comes in 8 kg and 15 kg boxes that suit regular production use without the commitment of a 20 kg box. Sourced from Peruvian fine-flavor cacao, 100% pure, food-grade, no additives. Because it is not deodorised, the aroma of the Peruvian cacao goes into your bars, ganache and white chocolate, and it comes as easy-melt wafers you weigh and melt, with no block to chop.

For chocolatiers using cocoa butter regularly for thinning couverture, ganache work, white chocolate and coatings, the Peruvian option gives you a format between the 1 kg bag and the 20 kg box. The 15 kg box is $975.00 CAD ($65.00/kg); the 8 kg box is $550.00 CAD ($68.75/kg).

• Origin: Peru (fine flavor)
• Grade: Food-grade, pure, natural (not deodorised)
• Softens: 34–38°C (93–100°F)
• Format: 1 kg bag ($69.99) · 8 kg box ($550.00) · 15 kg box ($975.00)
• Best for: Regular production use, thinning couverture, ganache, white chocolate, coatings, vegan confectionery

View Peruvian Cocoa Butter → $550.00 CAD (8 kg box)

How to use pure cocoa butter in production

• Thinning couverture. Add cocoa butter when a chocolate is too thick for thin shells, moulded pieces or dipping. Add it in small steps, check the temper and write the amount down for the next batch. For a cheaper thinning agent, BCcampus notes that emulsifiers like lecithin also thin melted chocolate and cost less than cocoa butter; our guide to chocolate viscosity compares both.
• Velvet mixture. KREA Swiss gives the working ratios for a sprayed velvet finish: 50% chocolate and 50% cocoa butter, or 60% chocolate and 40% cocoa butter, at 28–35°C (82–95°F). Pure cocoa butter sprays at 28–32°C (82–90°F). Always spray onto a frozen surface: the thermal shock creates the velvet texture.
• Your own colours. Pavoni's Chocolart fat-soluble powders have a high colour density and are made to be melted into cocoa butter, so one supply of pure cocoa butter and a few powders give you a full palette.
• White chocolate, coatings, ganache and baking. These are listed uses on our KKO Real and Peruvian product pages.

Coloring-Grade Cocoa Butter: Pavoni Italia

For colored bonbon work, the colour is already dispersed in the cocoa butter: Pavoni makes these lines for colouring chocolate in the mass, on the surface and in the mould. Two lines from Pavoni Italia, both E171-free:

3. Chocolart — Professional cocoa butter colors

14 colors · 200g bottles · $79.99–$109.00 CAD · Also available as fat-soluble powder (40g, $46.99–$60.99)

Ready-to-use professional cocoa butter colors in 14 shades: Apple Green, Green, Blue, Lemon Yellow, Egg Yellow, Orange, Black, White, Pink, Red, Lilac, Gold, Bronze, Ruby. Melt, apply, fill — no mixing or formulation required. Created with Chef Emmanuele Forcone for colouring chocolate in the mass, on the surface and in the mould, and for coloured glazes. The 40 g fat-soluble powders, in 12 shades, are for colouring your own cocoa butter.

Browse Chocolart colors →

4. Seasons — Natural plant-based cocoa butter colors

11 colors · 200g bottles · $69.00–$83.00 CAD · Also available as natural powder (80g, $44.99–$60.99)

Same uses as Chocolart, but with colours from vegetable concentrates: Pavoni makes Seasons for colouring chocolate masses, for direct application, and for glazes or velvet finishes. E171-free and vegan friendly. For bakeries and chocolatiers building a clean-label product story. Available in Apple Green, Green, Blue, Yellow, Cherry Red, Orange, Purple, Dark Brown, Pink, Red and Milk Cocoa. The 80 g Seasons powders are made from plant extracts such as spirulina, pumpkin and beetroot, for glazes, doughs, creams, fillings and viennoiserie.

Browse Seasons natural colors →

Velvet Spray Cocoa Butter: Dolce Velluto

5. Dolce Velluto velvet sprays — No airbrush required

400 ml pressurized cans · $56.99 CAD each · 13 colours, including Black Cherry, Black, Tiffany Blue and Gold

Ready-to-use velvet effect sprays — cocoa butter plus colorant in a pressurized can. Spray directly onto a frozen entremet, mousse cake or chocolate decoration. No airbrush compressor, no equipment to clean, no setup. For pastry chefs and chocolatiers who need a professional velvet finish without the investment or setup time of an airbrush system.

Best results on frozen or very cold surfaces: Pavoni makes Dolce Velluto to be applied on cold surfaces, and KREA Swiss explains that the thermal shock is what creates the velvet texture. Do not spray onto room-temperature chocolate.

For larger runs or your own colours, spray the cocoa butter and chocolate mixture described above with a heated sprayer. The KREA Swiss chocSPRAYER ($1,250.00 CAD) has a heated nozzle and an insulated 700 ml container, needs no compressor and runs on 120 V; it keeps pre-tempered chocolate workable but does not temper it. Our chocolate spray gun guide explains the set-up.

Browse Dolce Velluto sprays →

Price comparison: food-grade cocoa butter per kg

Product	Format	Price	Price per kg
KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter	1 kg	from $69.95 CAD	$69.95/kg
KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter	20 kg	$1,200.00 CAD	$60.00/kg
Peruvian Cocoa Butter	1 kg	$69.99	$69.99/kg
Peruvian Cocoa Butter	8 kg	$550.00	$68.75/kg
Peruvian Cocoa Butter	15 kg	$975.00	$65.00/kg

Availability changes by format: check the KKO Real collection and the Peruvian cocoa butter page for the formats in stock today.

Which cocoa butter should you buy?

Your situation	Recommended option
Single-origin Venezuelan production story, bean to bar	KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter with Sur del Lago beans
High-volume production, largest format	KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter 20 kg
Regular production without committing to 20 kg	Peruvian Cocoa Butter 8 kg or 15 kg
Small quantities for recipe development or testing	Peruvian Cocoa Butter 1 kg ($69.99)
Colored bonbon production, professional palette	Chocolart cocoa butter colors
Custom shades from your own cocoa butter	Pure cocoa butter + Chocolart fat-soluble powders
Clean-label, vegan friendly, natural color production	Seasons natural cocoa butter colors
Velvet finish on entremets, no airbrush	Dolce Velluto velvet sprays
Velvet in volume or in your own colours	Pure cocoa butter + couverture, sprayed with the KREA chocSPRAYER

How AI can help your production

Give an AI assistant your shell recipe and ask it to log every cocoa butter addition by batch, with the chocolate temperature and the result, so you can see which amount gives the shell you want. Ask it to build a colour sheet for your bonbon range: shade, product, grams per batch and cost per piece from the prices above. For velvet work, ask it to scale a 50/50 or 60/40 mixture to the number of cakes you finish each day.

AI organises the information; tasting and the final decision stay with your chef.

Cocoa butter at Zucchero Canada

All cocoa butter ships from Zucchero Canada in Calgary; food products ship within Canada only. Zucchero Canada is the exclusive distributor of KKO Real in Canada and an authorized distributor of Pavoni Italia and KREA Swiss. For the technique behind tempering, coating and glazing, Chocolate, 6th Edition by Ramon Morató ($160.00 CAD) is a 416-page reference with 200 recipes.

Questions about which format fits your production? Contact our team for standing B2B orders and volume pricing, or call 587-774-8873 (toll free 877-741-8251). Orders over CAD 500 get 5% off automatically at checkout; cocoa butter, cacao and chocolate are excluded from our free-shipping offer. Looking for formats and delivery details first? See where to buy cocoa butter in Canada.

View all cocoa butter and cacao →

KKO Real Venezuelan Cocoa Butter | Peruvian Cocoa Butter | Chocolart & Seasons colors | Browse all cocoa butter | Where to buy cocoa butter in Canada

This article is for information only. Every business is different: draw your own conclusions based on your own expectations, budget and goals, and talk to qualified experts before you decide or invest.

Sources: Zucchero Canada product data for KKO Real cocoa butter (Procesadora Cacao Real), natural Peruvian cocoa butter, Pavoni Chocolart, Seasons and Dolce Velluto, KREA Swiss chocSPRAYER and Sur del Lago cocoa beans; Pavoni Italia, Food Equipment catalogue 2026, "Colours & raw materials"; KREA Swiss Knowledge, "Chocolate Tempering Explained: What Goes Wrong" and "Spraying chocolate, and why the viscosity figures mislead"; BC Cook Articulation Committee, Understanding Ingredients for the Canadian Baker (BCcampus), sections 7.1, 7.5 and 7.7.