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Cocoa prices are falling — but not in time for Easter
Chocolate makers are still passing along earlier cocoa costs as candy prices rise 11.6% in a year, according to February's Consumer Price Index.
- Despite falling cocoa prices, Easter chocolate remains expensive for consumers in 2026. The candy on shelves was produced using cocoa purchased when prices were near their all-time high, according to Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector manager David Branch.
- Extreme weather caused poor crop yields for three consecutive years in Ghana and Ivory Coast, which produce 60% of the world's cocoa. Markets reacted to the supply deficit with "skyrocketing prices," Branch said.
- Cocoa bean prices have fallen from over $12,000 a ton in 2024 to about $3,300 today. Yet rising expenses in packaging and energy have kept production costs high, according to Li-Lac Chocolates owner Chris Taylor.
- Americans will spend about $3.3 billion on Easter candy this year, with 90% of baskets including chocolate, though consumers increasingly turn to inexpensive store brands or alternatives like Peeps. Retailers like Li-Lac struggle to absorb dual cost pressures.
- Branch does not expect significant price relief for customers until Halloween, noting that costs are unlikely to return to pre-crisis levels. Consumers remain committed to chocolate, calling it "one of the little affordable luxuries" they give themselves.
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38 Articles
38 Articles
By Isaac Tellechea, CNN. This year's Easter baskets will be more expensive and contain slightly less chocolate, despite falling cocoa prices. Cocoa—the key ingredient in chocolate—has seen a steady decline in price since its all-time high in 1914, when beans were trading above $12,000 per ton. Today they hover around $3,300 per ton. But that drop hasn't translated into higher prices for consumers. Candy prices have risen 11.6% in the past year, …
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Total News Sources38
Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center36Last UpdatedBias Distribution95% Center
Bias Distribution
- 95% of the sources are Center
95% Center
C 95%
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