This seems to be the week to report on the deaths of chocolate makers. I just heard that Robert Steinberg, founder of Scharffen Berger Chocolates, died of cancer last week . Those interested in good chocolate know, of course, that Scharffen Berger was among the first endeavors to bring good chocolate to the market in the U.S. I finally had a chance to tour their factory just last May. But I actually knew him personally.
Klaus Jacobs dies
Growing up in Germany, my favorite chocolate bar was Suchard Milka, either in the milk chocolate, the chocolate-hazelnut, or the noisette flavor. Birthdays and visits of relatives were always occasions to get a new stash of Suchard. But these did not last very long. The first bar usually disappeared within a few minutes after I got it. I would just sneak away from the commotion created by arriving relatives, tear into a bar and wolf down a few pieces. Thinking about it now, I must have displayed all the signs of an addict getting his fix.
Cocoa Prices in Perspective
The recent increases in cocoa prices–the thirty year high in July for example–mask what has been, in effect, a secular decline in cocoa prices adjusted for inflation. Author Thomas Lines finally put numbers to something I’ve known for some time. When observers speak of all time high cocoa prices, they simply compare current prices, that is, prices listed 30 years ago and today without taking into consideration inflation.
Price of Chocolate to Rise
The CEO of Barry Callebaut announced that chocolate prices will rise between 15 and 18 percent. Reuters reports that Patrick de Maeseneire told the Handelszeitung in Switzerland that raw materials contribute about 25 percent to the total price of a 100 gram chocolate bar and that cocoa, in turn, represents half of that. Since cocoa prices have doubled over the past year and other commodities like milk and sugar have increased in price as well, Mr. de Maeseneire reasoned that a 15-18 percent price increase is warranted.
Higher Prices for Ghana’s Cocoa farmers
Reuters reported today that Ghana’s Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has decided to increase the farm gate price for the next cocoa year from 1,200 cedis ($1,090) to 1,632 cedis ($1,384) per ton. This is welcome news for cocoa farmers all over Ghana who have been complaining about the low prices offered by COCOBOD during the last season.
