The costs of cocoa are at the record level on the world market. After a strong price increase on the shelves of the supermarket last year, it should rise again this year. In any case, Ritter Sport, the number three in Austria, has already announced that it would increase the delivery price “in the low double digital percentage of reach” in the middle of the year. Milka had not raised the price recently, but had lowered the packages.
After flowers, sweets are in second place in the Valentine’s Day gifts. Almost every fourth respondent wants Pralien & Co. this year. give. For this, however, consumers must dig deeper than before. “Last fall we had to increase our tax price by 25 to 30 percent,” explains Wolfgang Stöhr, director of Austria of Ritter Sport.
The reason: the cocoa price exploded on the world market, mainly because of various bad harvests (for example in West -Africa). About 80 percent of the cocoa comes from Ghana and the ivory coast worldwide, both are in West Africa. A ton always cost around $ 2,000, whether it is around $ 11,000 (depending on the trade center).
Because only a small part of the enormous increase in costs was passed on as a result of the price increases, the profit of the chocolate manufacturers also fall. This is also confirmed by the Knight Sports Manager.
At the same time, it is necessary to run the price screw this year. “We still expect, but it will probably be an increase in the low percentage with double digital percentage,” said Stöhr. The delivery prices for trade can be increased in the first half of the year or in the middle of the year. The manager cannot say what this has at sales prices in the supermarket. It can be very good that the trade does not pass on the entire increase to the customer.
Ritter Sport, number 3 with us, grew across the market in 2024 at the Chocolate table. The vegan varieties would work exceptionally well. Here you are a clear number one in Austria with a market share of around 40 percent. With new trends, such as Pistachie (keyword “Dubai-Chocolate”, available since January) or Amicelli (from May in the retail trade), you meet the Pulse of Time.
In total, the Austrians spent around 238 million euros (+8%) on the previous year on chocolate in the food trade. However, the crowd fell by 3.7 percent to 18,700 tons.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
