Sweet tooth: Where in Europe are chocoholics paying the most for their fix?

By&nbspEuronews & Loredana Dumitru

Published connected 09/09/2025 - 10:57 GMT+2 •Updated 13:53

Driven by a mediocre harvest successful Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, nan world's largest producers of cocoa, nan value of cocoa has surged globally complete nan past year.

But wherever successful nan European Union person consumers seen nan biggest value hike?

Poland took nan podium astatine number one, pinch nan state reporting a 39.1% summation arsenic of May of this year, compared to nan erstwhile year.

Across Europe, prices were connected mean 21.1% higher successful May than a twelvemonth earlier, according to information from Eurostat.

Other countries reporting notable value hikes see Estonia (+37.9%), Lithuania (+36.5%), Latvia (+33.2%), Sweden (+28.0%) and Finland (+26.0%).

Price increases were little severe, however, successful Luxembourg (+5.2%), Cyprus (+9.0%), Italy (+12.0%), Malta (+12.2%) and Austria (+13.4%).

Cocoa, which utilized to waste and acquisition for betwixt €2,000 and €3,000 a tonne, deed arsenic precocious arsenic astir €13,000 a tonne for a period.

Analysts expect its value to stay astatine astir €9,000 by nan extremity of nan year.

During nan 2023/2024 season, nan world cocoa marketplace suffered a diminution successful production. The International Cocoa Organisation estimated that accumulation declined by astir 10% compared to nan erstwhile season.

Experts blamed this cocoa shortage connected a assortment of issues, specified arsenic bad upwind — including aggravated rainfall followed by longer-than-usual barren seasons — ambiance change, and illness pressures successful crops successful West Africa.

Market analysts person estimated that nan cocoa proviso shortage — nan quality betwixt user demands and what nan marketplace tin supply — roseate to 478,000 metric tonnes during nan 2023/2024 season, nan highest shortage successful 60 years.

Rising cocoa prices person translated into unprecedented cocoa value inflation, which successful move has put unit connected cocoa makers some successful nan European Union and worldwide to move a profit.