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2026-02-15 12:04:34
[Cocoa Bean Shortage Drives Up Costs, US Chocolate Prices Continue to Rise] 1. Affected by a global shortage of cocoa beans in major producing regions, retail chocolate prices in the United States continue to rise. Data from market research firm DataGather shows that from January 1st to early February this year, US chocolate retail prices rose by 14.4% year-on-year. Cities like Denver and Los Angeles saw increases of approximately 17%, while the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw a surge of 19%. 2. The price increase is mainly due to a global shortage of cocoa beans, the core raw material. West Africa accounts for about 70% of global cocoa production, and extreme weather led to poor harvests, pushing cocoa futures prices to historical highs. Although international cocoa prices have recently declined somewhat, the US market is still absorbing previously purchased high-priced raw material inventory. 3. Analysts predict that the upward trend in chocolate prices will continue in the short term, and end consumers will continue to face price pressure.
