Cocoa grinding in Germany remained positive in the first quarter of 2024, the Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) reported, but the rest of Europe remains sluggish.
A new video produced by the African Cocoa Marketplace (ACM) reveals the plight of cocoa farmers in West Africa who struggle to grow enough beans to earn a living.
While there is no indication the world is not about to run out of chocolate any day soon, there are concerns from manufacturers and suppliers that the current high prices and shortage of cocoa beans will push up costs further and, in some cases, restrict...
Cote d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara has personally authorized the increase of the cocoa farmgate price to 1,500 CFA francs ($2.47) per kg from the current 1,000 CFA in an official announcement made today (Tuesday, 2 April) in Abidjan.
UPDATE: TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2024: Cocoa prices continued to rise this week. Earlier today the price of cocoa beans smashed through the $10,000 a ton for the first time in the futures market after posting gains all week - with chocolate makers passing on...
Cocoa production in Ghana has been falling off the cliff since posting a record 1.047 million metric tonnes (MT) at the close of the 2020-21 season. A multiplicity of factors account for the downward trend in production, including a prolonged El-Niño...
Procurement came under the spotlight at Chocoa’s recent Amsterdam Sustainable Cocoa Conference when it convened a panel of specialists to discuss why the practice is not just about buying beans - transactions should go a lot deeper in the value chain...
Love may be in the air this Valentine's Day – but so is the eye-watering price of cocoa on the market, making the cost of the key ingredient in chocolate more expensive than ever, according to analysts.
The Surucuá community in Brazil's state of Pará is the first to receive an Amazonian Creative Laboratory, a compact mobile biofactory designed to help kick-start the Amazon’s bioeconomy to process, package and sell bean-to-bar chocolate and similar...
Heavier-than-usual rainfall during the past three to six months in the main cocoa-producing countries of West Africa - Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon could impact the chocolate industry due to a shortage of its main ingredient, according...
After two consecutive years of deficit in conjunction with the expectation of another negative for the current season, cocoa futures in London and New York have continued to be bullish as demand for chocolate remains high, pushing up prices in the face...
The African Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, which brings together civil society cocoa platforms from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, has issued a statement alleging the cocoa industry is refusing to pay at the current market price plus the Living Income...
Cocoa prices climbed this week as the result of stronger global cocoa demand, with barchart.com reporting that Gepex, an exporter group that includes six of the world's biggest cocoa grinders, said that its Q3 cocoa processing was 183,731 MT, up...
The country’s cocoa production sector is under serious threat with climate change, disease, moribund farms, overaged tree stock, an aging farmer population, and an acute labour shortage, just some of the issues affecting productivity … that is why we...
The family-owned company has been processing cocoa beans into cocoa mass, butter, and powder at its own exclusively organic plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, since June 2022 and says an assessment carried out this month shows there have been no pesticide...
Cote d’Ivoire’s main cocoa crop (October to March) has been buoyed by above-average rain, with farmers pleased by the number of cherelles, or pods, already on the trees.
Premium chocolate and cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut has announced the expansion of its operation in Brazil through the opening of a logistics point in the northeast of the country, the Group has confirmed.
In latest market news reduced cocoa supplies from Cote d’Ivoire after recent heavy rains saw ICE NY cocoa on Monday close +7 (+0.21%), and Sep ICE London cocoa #7 closed +16 (+0.74%).
Recent bad weather in West Africa has threatened cocoa production resulting in record-high prices for the commodity on the Intercontinental Exchange in London.
The European Cocoa Organisation (ECA) has reported that 375,375 tonnes of raw cocoa were ground for the 1st quarter of 2023. This corresponds to a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Cocoa production in Colombia has increased by over 60% in the past 12 years and according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), in 2020, Colombia ranked 10th in the world in terms of annual cocoa production.
Cocoa prices posted moderate losses on the New York and London ICE exchanges at the end of last week. May ICE NY cocoa (CCK23) closed down -51 (-1.80%), and May ICE London cocoa #7 (CAK23) closed down -26 (-1.20%) as a stronger dollar sparked long liquidation...
Brazilian cocoa farmers are putting pressure on the government to suspend imports from Cote d’Ivoire over a fear the cargo will also include insects and weed seeds such as Striga weed, putting local cocoa farms at risk.
Nigeria’s cocoa exporters say they are also struggling to honour contracts, and many are suspending activities due to challenges, including a shortfall of cash to pay labourers and transporters.
Cocoa exporters in Cote d’Ivoire are reportedly close to defaulting on their contracts due to a lack of beans and urgently need up to 150,000 tonnes to honour their commitments.
Barry Callebaut Group has announced a major breakthrough in America after it has established a qualified health claim with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stating that high-flavanol cocoa powder may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
PRONATEC, an owner-run Swiss family company that maintains long-standing partnerships with cooperatives in the countries of origin, has been a pioneer in the global organic and Fairtrade movement for 45 years. In 2022, it opened its own impressive and...
Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator, Conseil du Café Cacao (CCC), has initiated a scheme to distribute electronic cards to cocoa farmers to help track beans from farms to their export ports and ensure the growers are paid a guaranteed price for their produce.
Weakness in global cocoa demand weighed on cocoa prices, barchart.com reported, as modest losses at the end of last week were posted with NY cocoa falling to a 1-month low and London cocoa falling to a five-week low.
In December, the EU provisionally agreed on a new regulation to ensure that supply chains are free from processes and products that cause deforestation, in an already volatile period, will the new legislation place more pressure on sustainability in the...
Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa farmers have confirmed that soil moisture on their lands should be sufficient to support the main crop over the next two months, despite the world’s top cocoa producer entering its dry season that lasts until March.
Recent flash flooding in West and Central Africa has hindered Cote d’Ivoire’s transportation of cocoa beans from the farms to the ports and could be the reason for the reduction of cocoa arrivals seen during the first few weeks of the main 2022-23 season...
Kate Robberson, who plays with world folk group Ley Line, has launched her own chocolate brand, Joaihú, a direct-origin, bean-to-bar chocolate from the old-growth rainforest in Bahia, Brazil.
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa-growing countries, have stepped up their pressure on the chocolate industry by threatening to punish companies visiting their farms to estimate harvests, which is a key factor in forecasting the price...
Cocoa supplier Touton’s Sustainability Report 2021-22 has highlighted the French headquartered company’s long-term commitment to a transparent supply chain.
Barry Callebaut caught the market by surprise by rescheduling its Full-Year Results 2021-22 analysts and media call to Tuesday instead of today (Wednesday 2 November) after the figures were published early due to an ‘unforeseen event’. The world’s largest...
After almost 150 years of traditional chocolate craft, Barry Callebaut has announced a major breakthrough for the industry by redesigning the farming, fermentation, and roasting of the cocoa bean to create what it has called the ‘second generation of...
The Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has confirmed the third-quarter 2022 cocoa grind fell 4.7% on the year to 100,149 tonnes, following a 3.7% increase in the second quarter.
The International Cocoa Council (ICCO) has laid out and adopted a new set of amendments relating to the International Cocoa Agreement (ICA) 2010 at a specially convened meeting last month in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Ghanaian cocoa processing company Niche Cocoa has announced a major investment in the US with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Franklin, Wisconsin.
ofi (olam food ingredients), a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, says it has substantially advanced towards the climate goals stated in its Cocoa Compass sustainability report – but issued a call for the EU to work with other...
In this exclusive op-ed for ConfectioneryNews by Brett Beach, Co-founder of sustainable chocolate brand Made in Africa (MIA), and Dr Kristy Leissle, a member of CN’s editorial board and the author of numerous books and articles on cocoa and industry politics,...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has forecast a 230,000-tonne global cocoa deficit in the current 2021-22 season (October-September), up from a previous projection of a deficit of 174,000 tonnes.
The result of a three-year study by a multi-disciplinary panel of four experts into the sources of lead and cadmium in cocoa and chocolate - and how levels may be reduced in the future - has been published by the National Confectioners Association (NCA)...
The two world's biggest cocoa producers, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, have announced they are raising the price of their beans to help farmers earn a decent living income.
Farmer organizations will be guaranteed a higher price for cocoa sales on Fairtrade terms, as part of foundation’s strategy towards enabling living incomes it said. Changes will come into effect October 2019.
