Chocolate becoming more and more expensive ? How chocolatiers are coping with the rise in cocoa prices

Malgré la hausse du cours du cacao, les prix des sujets en chocolat pour Pâques devraient rester limités. Les chocolatiers tentent de ne pas se couper des consommateurs. Midi Libre – CHLOE AZAIS

While the price of cocoa has soared (+130% in one year), professionals are trying to respond, without cutting themselves off from a clientele very fond of the egg tradition and other chickens for the Easter holidays. Journey into a universe in full search of balance.

This Easter weekend, this is information that does not necessarily go unnoticed. The price of cocoa is soaring. Last week, it exceeded the milestone of 10,000 dollars per tonne on the New York Stock Exchange. It was at $2,870 a year ago. An event. The cause: poor climatic conditions in the two main producing countries, Ivory Coast and Ghana. But also, speculation.

Should you be worried about it when you go to buy your Easter egg from your chocolatier? Even if the information is not strictly speaking new, as recalled by Gilles Rouvière, general secretary of the Chocolate Union ("over one year, the increase is 130 %", he explains, read below), nevertheless: we cannot ignore the questions surrounding the inflation of chocolate products .

"I won't be doing subjects, like the chicken and the egg, this year"

And foodies aren't the only ones. In Occitania, chocolatiers are also waiting. Everyone chooses their strategy. If possible the most appropriate. "Of course, for some time now, we have been impacted by the price increase imposed by our suppliers", says Fabien Charlot, chocolatier in the Lot, in Cahors and Sarlat. He made his choice: "this year, I will not produce subjects, like the chicken and the egg.

The reason ? "If I were to pass on this increase to these products, they would be at prices that would no longer be affordable&quot ;, he confides. He prefers to continue producing chocolate candies, which are less expensive to produce for the consumer. "If I spend 15 to 20 minutes creating a piece, its price will be too high, due to the impact of the price of cocoa beans".

Agnès and Pierre: "No castings at Easter, that’s not normal"

In the region, he seems to be the only one to have opted for such a clear-cut position. In Rodez, in Aveyron, at the Chocolaterie Agnès & Pierre, the two leaders have little choice. "We are chocolatiers above all and if we don't make molds at Easter, that's not normal", explain d& ;rsquo;a single impulse Agnès and Pierre.

They made the choice to "reduce" their margin. "We have no choice, they continue. We will increase our products a little, but not too much because Easter is an important time". Especially since their customers are "requesting molding products". And then, they don't want to lose the momentum of their growth. "We are in full development and we are betting that we will continue to grow. So now is not the time".

Find a "psychological threshold" rising

In Trèbes, on the outskirts of Carcassonne, in Aude, the Chocolaterie Nougalet does not want to miss the meeting with its customers. "We are covered by price levels that correspond to those of 6 to 8 months ago, when we purchased our raw material, explains Eric Monterrat, its manager. So, we are not increasing our prices for Easter". However, he will not escape "in a few months".

An average budget of 22.60 euros per household

According to the Syndicat du chocolat, the average budget that each French household devotes to purchasing chocolates for the Easter period next year ;eacute;student &at; 22.60 euros. Last year, in April 2023, Easter chocolate sales increased by 4.6% in volume compared to the previous year. 2022. This shows how "Easter remains a festive occasion for eating chocolate with the family", estimate cocoa bean professionals. In the midst of debates on purchasing power, in 2023, prices had, according to Circana, a specialist consultancy firm, increased. in consumption, progressé in large and medium-sized supermarkets (GMS) by 11.3%. "En deçà of the average annual inflation of consumer products, which is 12.8% over the same period", pr& cises the union. À note that 60% of volume sales are driven by the tablets and pastes segment. spread.

Same approach from Thierry Papereux, in Montpellier. The famous chocolatier, located in the heart of the city, offers molds for Easter. "I will necessarily pass on the increase, but not at the level that it should logically be since the raw material has increased by around 20 %&quot ;, he declares. But he knows he needs to find a balance. "There is a psychological threshold not to be exceeded in the rise in prices", he adds. "It’s up to us to think about which one it should be".

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