Chocolate prices bite harder as costs continue to climb , leaving South African fans of the sweet treat with a bitter aftertaste.
According to Business Tech , research firm Eighty20 says the cost of chocolate has risen by 40 since December 2021, with no sign of slowing down. In 2024 alone, prices increased by 11.6.
The main cause is a cocoa crisis. Cocoa prices have nearly quadrupled over the past year due to poor weather and crop disease in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, the world's leading cocoa producers.
Although exports picked up briefly in early 2025, that relief was short-lived. Concerns about the current harvest have caused fresh anxiety, with cocoa processors rejecting truckloads of beans due to poor quality.
Cocoa crunch hits local shelvesCape Town chocolatier Anthony Gird, co-founder of Honest Chocolate, notes that quality dark chocolate is becoming increasingly expensive and that this trend is likely to persist.