To sort out crushed cacao-nibs from seed coats of cacao beans by using an electrostatic method in which crushed materials are electrically charged in a charging section between two different charged electrodes and are discharged in the other two electrodes while falling by gravity.

For sorting out crushed cacao beans, or nibs, from seed coats of cacao beans, crushed-materials 5 are poured into a receiving hopper 4 in the shape or form of coarsely broken pieces or roasted pieces, are fed from its outlet into a vibrating shoot 6 provided with two differently charged electrodes 7 and 8 which generate a homogenous electric field, and are electrically charged while passing through between the electrodes 7 and 8. Smaller pieces of the charged crushed-materials 5 are fed into a falling part 11 in a deflected section 2 so as to make the charged crushed-materials discharge electrically by means of two electrodes 9 and 10 while falling by gravity.