Cocoa prices on record high: chocolate manufacturer under enormous pressure!

Cocoa prices on record high: chocolate manufacturer under enormous pressure!

Vienna, Österreich - The cocoa prices reached a historical record level in 2024, which exerts considerable pressure on the chocolate manufacturers. According to reports, the prices for raw cocoa on international raw material markets in April and December 2024 rose to alarming heights. Compared to 2022, when the price was around 2,000 British pounds, it increased to over £ 10,000 by April 2024 before it was halved in the meantime until September 2024 and increase again until December. vienna.at reports that the current prices for a tonne Rohkakao are now around 6,400 pounds.

A massive impact on cocoa prices are crop failures due to weather extremes and pests that significantly reduce the yields. The climate crisis, a lack of access to financing and a lack of security of supply further tighten this problem. The cocoa farmers in West Africa are particularly affected, where around 70 % of global cocoa production takes place, especially in the countries of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia culinarytales.de . These countries are economically heavily dependent on the cocoa cultivation, which directly affects the gross domestic product, employment and economic stability.

New state harvest price and rising costs

On April 8, 2025, the Côte d’Ivoire, the largest cocoa production country, announced the new state-based harvest price for the cocoa harvest season, with an increase of over 20 % compared to the previous year. This increase is generally positive for the cocoa cooperative. However, the high prices also increase the need for financing. In Austria, companies such as men, Heindl and Heidi have introduced Fair trade conditions to meet the challenges of high cocoa prices ots.at .

In addition, increasing silage and transport costs put a lot of strain on the food industry. This means that renowned chocolate manufacturers such as Mondelez, known for their Milka products, have announced the content of their boards due to the increased cost pressure. Lindt & Sprüngli and Ritter also increased their prices, which underlines the consequences of the rapidly increasing cocoa costs.

Fair trade and market changes

Fairtrade-certified cocoa-cooperative strives to ban exploitian child labor and forced labor. However, the Fairtrade minimum prices are currently not relevant due to record prices. While the Fairtrade minimum price for conventional cocoa is $ 2,400 per ton, there is also a surcharge for organic cocoa and a fair trade bonus for small farmers organizations vienna.at .

In times of high cocoa prices, it becomes clear that conscious consumer decisions are important. By buying organic and fair trade-certified products, consumers can support both cocoa farmers and contribute to creating a more fairer market. The Easter bunny check from Südwind and Global 2000 specifically recommends such products to promote a fairer chocolate industry.