“We were at €92 per kilo last year, we are at €110 today”, the rise in cocoa is hitting the artisan chocolatiers of Lot-et-Garonne hard

From almost €2,000 per tonne in February to €12,000 in October, the price of cocoa has soared in 2024. As the holidays approach, the chocolatiers of Lot-et-Garonne have had to adapt to this new situation, without forgetting the various additional increases, such as energy. “We are going to cut back on our margins to limit the impact, but we must pass on part of it in prices,” they confide. “We were at €92 per kilo last year, we are at €110 today. This year, we did not make the candies to limit production costs,” admits Christine Semper, from the Fabrique du Pâtissier in Agen.

For his part, Lionel Standaert, from the Feyt pastry shop, maintains: “We are at €90 per kilo. We refuse to go above €100 for the holidays.” Consumers' receipts show an increase of 5 to 15%, but for purchases by professionals, it is a minimum of 80% increase for all ranges.

Anticipation and speculation

To cope, certain artisans such as the Yves Thuriès chocolate factory anticipated the increase. Pascale Verney, the manager, explains: “We have our own plantation in Ecuador. We have experienced the increase in packaging and transport. We remain optimistic, but chocolate is becoming a luxury product.” On the side of Monette Sarrauste, in Nérac, a purchase contract was signed in advance. “For the holidays, there will therefore be no impact. We try to smooth it out throughout the year.”

This inflation has its origins in producing countries, mainly Ivory Coast and Ghana, where droughts and diseases have had a serious impact on harvests. Furthermore, global consumption is exploding, driven by emerging countries. “We’re not going to lie to each other, there’s speculation too,” slips Jean-Marie Congès, chocolatier in Saint-Antoine-de-Ficalba. Beyond bars and candies, chocolate pastries are also subject to this context.

“We sell delicacies”

Constantly rising prices which could lead to fears of a lack of treats under the tree? Professionals refuse to be defeatist. “We are doing educational work to explain the situation. The quality remains intact, and customers continue to respond. For example, instead of taking boxes, we buy individually,” says Fabrique du Pâtissier.

“We have held trade fairs, indeed the average basket is down, but we cannot do without chocolate”, mischievously assures the chocolatier from Saint-Antoine-de-Ficalba. Same story from Feyt: “We want to continue to have fun, it’s important with all the current context.”

Despite an increase in prices, the end-of-year holidays remain a special time for many people. For the pleasure of the taste buds, we easily indulge in a square of chocolate. Artisans like to remind us: “more than chocolate, we sell pleasure and comfort.”