Small business owners in Canada, bakeries in particular, are feeling the pinch due to a global shortage of cocoa. The lack of supply means the cost of it has skyrocketed over the past few months and continues to remain high.
Ashley Benson, co-owner of Bloom Cookie Co. in Edmonton says cocoa powder is used in more than half of the baked goods at the shop, and the cost is adding up.
"The cocoa, when I ordered it last year, was $182 for 50 pounds, and now it’s $400 for 50 pounds," she said.
Benson says to make up for the cost, she’s had to increase the price by $1 on one product.
"We still want it to be as accessible as possible for everybody. We don't make those decisions lightly," said Benson.
"We explain that to our customers. And everyone's been wonderful about it, very understanding, which we really appreciate."
The majority of the world’s chocolate production relies on beans exported from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Sylvain Charlebois, director of The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, says bad weather and disease has resulted in the shortage of cocoa yields.
"There's just too much moisture. And fungus has actually impacted crops in that region of the world," he said.
"Access to market has also been an issue because roads have been damaged."
Charlebois says current data shows that the cost per metric ton of cocoa is US$9,395. The former historic high was set in 1977 when the cost was US$4,764 per metric ton.
Janet Wong Ken, owner and operator of Cookie Mama in Calgary says it’s very challenging to operate her bakery on slim margins.
"We can't get rid of the cocoa. We can't negotiate the price. It comes on the invoice as whatever it is that they're going to charge us. So we just need to work within those parameters."
Charlebois says it’s difficult to predict when the price of cocoa will decrease and that it depends on how the markets react.
"Many years ago, vanilla was widely used until it became extremely expensive. Nowadays we see a lot of products with vanilla, but most manufacturers are using artificial flavours, not the actual thing, which actually has reduced demand for vanilla."
He adds that in the future, other methods to produce cocoa might be explored.
"Perhaps, over time, we could see different countries or companies decide to produce cocoa in a lab, which is possible. You can actually produce cocoa in a lab anywhere in the world without being at the mercy of major exporters like Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Perhaps some countries will decide to produce cocoa just because right now the prices are so high on the market."
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Donald Trump plans to return Saturday to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, as the former U.S. president sets aside what are now near-constant worries for his physical safety in order to fulfill a promise — “really an obligation,†he said recently — to the people of Butler, Pa.
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Powerful new explosions rocked Beirut's southern suburbs late Saturday as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
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Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
French authorities said four migrants, including a two-year-old child, died Saturday in two separate incidents as they attempted to cross the English Channel toward Britain.
A rural Colorado county courthouse beefed up security Friday after threats were made against staff and a judge who sentenced former county clerk Tina Peters to nearly nine years behind bars for her role in a data breach scheme catalyzed by the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly reiterated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East on Saturday as he blamed Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel for a staggering number of civilian deaths.
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NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Bruzzese came down with COVID-19 in February 2023, and received her injection at the end of March. “Being able to recognize smells is something we take for granted, until you can’t.â€
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Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
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Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.
Hollywood star Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday in an event in which 'The Matrix' star spun out at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Dubai's Emirates airline has banned pagers and walkie-talkies from its planes, following last month's attacks on such devices carried by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
TikToks of customers stuffing their faces with a US$20 endless shrimp. More than 100 restaurant closures and thousands of layoffs. A revolving door of CEOs. Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
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A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
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Leo Campana scored in stoppage time to leave Toronto FC's playoff hopes hanging by a thread after a 1-0 Inter Miami win Saturday.
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Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi laid out a path to the premier’s office at an NDP members' town hall meeting Saturday at the University of Calgary.
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The Huron Ontario Provincial Police said they responded to a “downed airplane†just after 11 a.m. Saturday.
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The Oktoberfest Parade is fast approaching and organizers are urgently seeking volunteers to fill the role of sign carriers.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation hosted a virtual election forum on education Thursday evening, giving candidates in the provincial election a chance to share their thoughts and answer questions on issues teachers find most important.
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Huron OPP say they were on the scene of a plane crash this morning, with a pilot finding themselves unable to halt before the end of a runway in Brussels.
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.
OPP are seeking assistance in their search for a 30-year-old man last seen in Orillia.
After collecting around a thousand bags of donated hockey equipment and 2,000 sticks since April, Saturday's Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive in Barrie began delivering to youth in need across 15 Indigenous communities across Ontario.
Three people from Simcoe County face charges in relation to a drug trafficking investigation that police say resulted in the seizure of several weapons, drugs and thousands of dollars worth of stolen property.
The municipality issued a stern reminder for code violators, as both were fined following a warning issued by Leamington Fire Services.
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NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.
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Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.
Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.
A person was airlifted to hospital following a serious crash in Taber, Alta., on Friday morning. Taber RCMP responded to the scene on Highway 864 around 10:30 a.m., for a crash involving an SUV and a semi-truck.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians has presented awards to 750 doctors based on comments from patients, including eight physicians who are part of the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Two teens, ages 14 and 19, have been charged with arson in connection with a July 14 fire in Cat Lake First Nation that destroyed $500,000 in construction materials.
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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