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LOGAN —There's no end in sight for a major chocolate shortage, and Utahns might start to see it as a consumer in more ways than one.
Steve Bernet is often a tour guide, as manager of the Aggie Chocolate Factory. The shop is, after all, on the Utah State University campus as a learning tool for students.
On Friday, he shared a lesson on the economy of the cocoa bean. "The Easter Bunny is going to find chocolate a little more expensive this year and maybe next year, even more expensive," he said.
Over 70% of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa, he said, and right now, conditions there are less than ideal.
"The harvest last October was terrible," Bernet said. "There is another one coming up in May, starting in May, and it's not looking good either."
Yields were down about 30% because of the weather. Bernet said it's impacting prices everywhere.
"If you're a small chocolatier, perhaps you once paid $5,000 for an order of chocolate. Now, all of a sudden, you have to pay $20,000," he said.
Several other factors are adding to this: a shoot virus, some European markets choosing not to buy from less-sustainable farms, and a fight over government-set cocoa prices in Ghana.
Bernet said, "It's a little out of the ordinary, I would say."
This is why prices will likely continue to rise. Bernet said you may start to see less chocolate in some candies.
"And you may have also noticed that the size of the bar has shrunk," he added.
Now you know why that little indulgence will be more costly in the foreseeable future.
