What does raw cocoa mean?

I recently was in a discussion with someone about the benefits of raw cocoa beans.  She produced a bag of nibs and asked me to taste it.  The first thing I noticed was the smell of an acidic quality signaling poor processing; the second was that the nibs were not a light white or purple but a light brown coloring. They also had a chocolate flavor, not great and they were bitter, but the chocolate flavor was there. Having eaten cacao beans straight from the pod, I knew these were not raw, and hence the confusion for people who are taken in by companies claiming to have raw beans or paste.
Raw beans are astringent.  They are very astringent. There is no chocolate flavor and the saliva is ripped out of your mouth, leaving it dry and uncomfortable.  Some people may experience this astringency more or less than myself, but it is different from the bitter quality that happens after it has been fermented.
Fermentation is a process of heat, and heat destroys pathogens and much of the antioxidants in any raw product. Fermentation also creates the chocolate flavor we recognize and enjoy.  (I remember when Odwalla used to sell unpasteurized apple juice claiming that raw was better for you. Unfortunately, a few people ended up dying from salmonella poisoning from drinking their raw apple juice.  Odwalla is lucky to still be in business, but then again, they no longer sell raw apple juice.)  Cacao beans start fermenting almost immediately after being picked off the tree, creating an environment that begins the degradation of the bacteria, pathogens and antioxidants of the raw bean. The same antioxidants that so many people believe will ward off cancer, aging and even delay death.  I won't challenge the ideas of the healing power of antioxidants,  but I will challenge the marketing of "raw beans".  Even a little heat changes a product from raw to not raw.  Parboiling before canning is a good example of eliminating those pesky bacterias that can make a person seriously ill but the parboiling process also begins killing the more fragile and desirable mineral and vitamins. Even a little fermentation of the cacao bean, under 111 degrees Fahrenheit, starts changing the beans taste and level of antioxidants available for people to benefit from when they ingest the cocoa.  I believe that unless a cacao company is putting all their pods into a refrigerated container immediately after the pod is removed from the tree and keep it under controlled cool settings all the way to the grocery shelf, that they can not, and should not, call it raw.  The expensive of doing this would make it nearly impossible for most small farmers who grow cacao trees to create this product.  I am not saying there isn't a company who is doing it with this much intergrity; I am only saying I highly doubt it and have yet to find a company who does this. 
Personally, I would enjoy chocolate in nib or candy form, for its taste and leave it to your local farmer for the fruits and vegetables that you can purchase in your city for the health benefits of antioxidants.