Chocolate Prices Skyrocket: Is Your Favourite Treat at Risk?

Cornish chocolatier warns cocoa crisis could spell disaster for small businesses

Cocoa Prices Soar as Climate Change Bites

The cost of cocoa has surged by 400% in recent years, hitting a record $12,605 per tonne in December 2024—and prices remain stubbornly high. A new report from Christian Aid, Cocoa Crisis: How Chocolate is Feeling the Bite of Climate Change, has laid bare the stark reality for the chocolate industry.

West Africa, which produces over 50% of the world’s cocoa, has seen harvests slashed by extreme weather, driving up prices and shrinking chocolate bars. In 2024, human-caused climate change added six weeks of days above 32°C in 71% of cacao-producing regions in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria—temperatures far too hot for cocoa trees to thrive.

Cornwall’s Chocolate Industry Under Threat

Small-scale chocolatiers in the UK are feeling the squeeze, including Kernow Chocolate, a well-known Cornish brand. Andy Soden, from Kernow Chocolate, explained how the crisis could put small chocolate businesses at risk:

“Global cocoa production has been impacted for the about last four years due to a rapidly changing climate, and also El Niño and La Niña effects. The layman’s version of this essentially is they are getting the wrong weather at the wrong point in the growing and harvest cycle, which is massively reducing output. Low supply and high global demand have inflated market prices globally from a relatively stable market price to upwards of £10,000 a tonne.”

For small businesses like Kernow Chocolate, adapting is a challenge. Unlike large confectionery brands that can modify recipes to reduce cocoa content, smaller manufacturers have no choice but to increase prices.

“For a small manufacturer, this has the potential to put us out of business long term as our wholesale price for 2025 is very close to passing our retail price of 2023. Such is the rapid inflation of the base price.”

Andy added that climate change is the driving force behind the crisis:

“It’s a nightmare, I don’t think any business involved in chocolate has avoided this impact, and it’s all down to climate change.”

Farmers Face Devastating Losses

While consumers in the UK are noticing rising prices and shrinking bars, cocoa farmers in Africa and Central America are dealing with food insecurity and economic hardship.

Amelia, a 24-year-old cocoa grower in Guatemala, described the devastating impact:

“My plantations have been dying due to the lack of water, and in terms of how it’s affecting me, there is no food for my family. The cocoa trees are dying, which are usually very resilient. I’m actually not worried that it ‘may’ happen (climate-related crop loss) it’s happening already.”

Aurelia, a 53-year-old cocoa grower in Guatemala, echoed the concern:

“Climate change has been killing our crops. This means there is no income because we cannot sell anything.
“What is happening is that my plantation has been dying. So what has been happening, is death. Death to my crops. The few cocoa trees I had, didn’t develop enough, so we couldn’t use them.”

Calls for Action on Climate and Fair Pay for Farmers

Christian Aid has warned that the entire chocolate supply chain is at risk and is calling for urgent action to cut emissions and support cocoa farmers with climate finance.

Osai Ojigho, from Christian Aid, stressed the link between climate change and poverty in cocoa-growing regions:

“Growing cocoa is a vital livelihood for many of the poorest people around the world and human-caused climate change is putting that under serious threat. Chocolate is one of the many products that connects consumers in the global north with growers in the global south.
“We need to see emissions cut, and targeted climate finance going to cocoa growers to help them adapt.”

The Fairtrade Foundation is also pushing for higher wages for cocoa farmers, warning that low prices force farmers into unsustainable practices.

Alexander Carnwath, from the Fairtrade Foundation, explained:

“Environmental sustainability across the cocoa supply chain cannot be achieved without social and economic sustainability. Where cocoa producers are bound by trading relationships that require them to sell below the cost of production, they may be forced to resort to unsustainable practices. The ability of producers to earn a living income, through higher prices for their produce, is a key enabler as well as a precondition for ensuring effective climate action.”

What’s Next for Chocolate?

With no end in sight to rising cocoa prices, small chocolate makers and cocoa farmers are bracing for more uncertainty.

Gemma Whitaker, from Whitakers Chocolates, highlighted the importance of sustainable farming:

“At Whitakers Chocolates, we recognise that climate change poses a very real threat to cocoa growers worldwide, from rising temperatures to unpredictable weather that impacts harvests. As chocolate makers, we’re deeply committed to safeguarding the future of cocoa by supporting more sustainable farming methods, reducing our own carbon footprint, and collaborating closely with our growers and suppliers.”

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the message from chocolatiers and cocoa farmers is clear—chocolate is at risk, and action is needed now.