The effects of climate change in West Africa, particularly in countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast, are causing cocoa shortages, driving prices to record highs. This is severely impacting European chocolatiers, especially small family-run businesses like Paris’s oldest chocolatier, À la Mère de Famille. With tighter cocoa supplies, many artisanal producers face difficult decisions about raising prices, risking alienating customers or laying off workers. Larger companies have adapted by altering recipes or shifting sourcing to South America, but the future remains uncertain. Rising costs are changing consumer behavior, putting traditional chocolatiers at risk of closing or reducing production.
Source: Financial Post