Soaring Chocolate Prices

Chocolate prices are soaring—with no end in sight. In 2023, the market price for cocoa beans nearly doubled. Astoundingly, in early 2024, the market price doubled again. The culprit? Most cacao is grown in the West African countries of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire—areas that are experiencing multi-year drought.

Cacao is a commodity sold on the futures market that changes hands many times from the farmer to our palate. For many years, low prices, climate change, and a long supply chain have prevented farmers from improving their communities and farms, and the crisis has come to a head.

With supplies limited, the price of chocolate will continue to rise. The cacao crisis means there will likely be more fillers and substitutes popping up—so read your labels carefully. Rest assured Chukar will not compromise on quality and will work diligently to stabilize prices.

Chukar Cherries is proud to source our chocolate for our chocolate covered cherries from a 6th generation family chocolate manufacturer in California. For decades they have invested in farming communities from which they contract raw cacao beans. Avoiding cheap, low-quality chocolate is one thing we can all do to aim for a fair system. And when you buy chocolate, buy quality chocolate, that supports sustainable practices in the cacao farming communities they touch.

Responsible Sourcing of Chocolate: Chukar's chocolate is sourced from a 6th generation family chocolatier that invests in the farming communities that grow their cocoa beans. Communities and farmers are protected through the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) and World Cocoa Foundation’s Cocoa Livelihood Program.