I used to go to meeting with a well-known chocolate brand whenever they had their meetings online. They wanted to hear what folks who worked in food co-ops, for environmental groups, for fair trade organizations, and writers about chocolate had to say to help them expand their reach in the market. While I believe in that brand's ethics, I stopped attending those meeting when it became clear that they were only interested in their business and the cocoa farmers, not in the consumer.
As you know, we, the buyers and users of chocolate, are the primary concern on The Chocolate Cult. This is why I don't charge readers or chocolate makers, because I want to be as objective about chocolate as possible to help us all make the best choices about what to put in our bodies and where to spend our money. Right now, you may be hearing and seeing a lot about cocoa prices going up, up, up. This post is a chance for you to chime in with your thoughts and feelings and be 100% honest without fear of being attacked for what you must consider when you buy chocolate.
I've read and watched several news reports on why the prices for cocoa beans is going up in 2024. Let me just list what I've gotten from those pieces.
1. Most of the cocoa beans produced in the world are from Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
2. Changes in weather patterns is negatively affecting the growth of cacao beans and damaging the trees.
3. West Africa has the world's largest cocoa plantations and all those nations are being affected by climate change.
4. Workers on the majority of cocoa farmers are treated poorly and this affects the quality of the work they can do.
5. Government oversight is stronger in other areas of the world were cocoa bean are grown, but that is a small part of the overall world production, that it cannot replace the damaged crops from West Africa.
6. Piracy of cocoa beans continues to be a problem.
7. World popularity of chocolate is growing.
8. Costs of additional ingredients such as sugar, is also on the rise.
I have thoughts about each of these points, but I want to read what you have to say first.
Let's have a discussion in the comments!
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