Chocolate Prices Rise Amid Global Cocoa Shortage

Local chocolatiers react to bittersweet news

Locally owned chocolatiers Bissingers and Chococolate Chocolate Chocolate are feeling the bittersweet effects of rising cocoa prices.

The recent surge in global cocoa prices is caused by a supply shortage.

The International Cocoa Organization recently forecast that global production will fall short of demand in the coming years.

For chocolate makers around the world, the crisis is here.

Plants have been forced to shut down in Malaysia due to the shortage.

Cocoa processing likely slowed last quarter, and a steeper slump is looming as chocolatiers start to feel the pinch.

Easter is just around the corner, and local chocolatiers say a global shortage of cocoa beans has been pushing up prices.

Chocolate-loving consumers around the globe are being hit by higher cocoa prices, due in part to the shortage.

For years, the cost and supply of cocoa had remained relatively stable, making chocolate an affordable treat.

However, the recent surge in prices is threatening to change that.