Cocoa harvest in crisis
Chocolate, soon a luxury commodity? Coop and Migros react
The prices of the tablets fly away, while the cocoa is always more expensive, but also rarer.
The increase in cocoa prices affects Swiss consumers.
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This is bad news for chocolate lovers: this national sweetness has never cost so expensive. On the shelves of Swiss supermarkets, the prices fly away: the Cailler tablets of 100 g have 2 fr. 60 to 3 fr. 50 at Coop, while those of Lindt now reach 3 fr. 80, Observe the Watson media – an increase of almost 35%.
After a decade of stability, cocoa experienced a spectacular flambé. A dreaded trend for several months by professionals in the sector. In Switzerland, distributors are therefore trying to limit breakage. According to Watson, Coop and Migros rely on their homemade brands to offer more accessible products. Migros bet on a wide range signed Frey, with tablets ranging from 0.95 to 3 fr. 50 According to the recipes and indicates that he can partially amortize the increases thanks to his cocoa stocks, stored in Amsterdam. For its part, Coop offers products via its Naturaplan and Halba ranges, with prices from 1 fr. 95 to 2 fr. 50.
A rare but prized cocoa
A question remains unanswered: a return to normal, with more affordable prices, is it possible? According to Chocosuissethe umbrella association of the Swiss chocolate industry, nothing is less certain. At the RTSits director, Roger Wehrli, declared last April that this outbreak could well register. Migros herself already recognized in 2023, in the pages of her “magazine”, that cocoa had been “too cheap” in recent years.
This new reality is notably fueled by the growing rarity of cocoa, which has become a raw material under tension. Global warming plays a central role in this crisis, because in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, the main producing countries, extreme weather conditions are multiplying. Prolonged droughts, torrential rain and cocoa diseases have heavily impacted the crops. To these factors is added a strong global demand, coupled with speculative activities on the stock markets.
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