Chocolate prices are on the rise as Easter candy sales are in full swing
Chocolate prices are on the rise as Easter candy sales are in full swing.
Demand goes up this time of year, which can lead to paying more for the sweet treats.
From chocolate bunnies to chocolate-covered eggs, Easter candy has started to show up in stores and some people may have noticed sticker shock.
Some prices are higher because of things like new tariffs or the bird flu, but higher chocolate prices have nothing to do with anything like that.
At Sarris Candies in Canonsburg, products are created and sent all over the world.
From international online orders to local drug stores and grocery stores and school fundraisers, Sarris have all the chocolate you can think of.
"The industry is concerned," said Bill Sarris, CEO of Sarris Candies. "I was on the phone just an hour before you walked in the door with people in Europe discussing what's going on, what we're gonna do, what they're gonna do."
Sarris says that he, along with chocolatiers everywhere have been dealing with a significant increase in the cost of cocoa, the key ingredient in their products.
"What role does cocoa play in making chocolate?" Sarris asked. "Pound for pound, to make chocolate, 12.5 pounds of cocoa to make one pound of chocolate."
The increase in cocoa can be attributed to bad weather and crop disease in western Africa, the place where the majority of the ingredient is grown.
Luckily, while the one ingredient is priced high, there's still plenty of the creamy goodness to go around and hasn't slowed production for chocolate companies.
"It's a really big deal with what's happening throughout the industry with this cocoa bean issue," Sarris said.
