Latest news with #Vistro
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chocolate prices soar ahead of Valentine's Day
(CBS NEWSPATH) — The sweetest holiday of the year is just days away and grocery stores shelves are full of love. But the price of valentine's day chocolates this year may leave some with a bitter taste. The United States is the world's largest importer of chocolate. According to the USDA, between 2017-2021, the U.S. imported roughly $2.8 billion worth of chocolate per year. Those prices have only climbed, making some shoppers think twice, but why? Recent rise in egg prices tied to bird flu, limitations placed on shoppers TAZA Chocolates pays a premium for fair trade cocoa from countries like the Dominican Republic to Ghana and Uganda. 'It's been a pretty significant jump,' TAZA Chocolates Team Member Christine Vistro said. 'A lot of the worlds cocoa comes from West Africa. The Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 70% of all the cocoa produced in the world today.' According to Vistro, recent climate challenges have shrunk crops. 'West Africa had a big drought in their crop in 2023 it was really wet in 2024 and because of the smaller crop we've seen a big increase in cocoa prices,' Vistro said. This more than doubles the cost of importing beans for this Somerville small business, a cost that trickles down to the customers. 'Whatever is happening at their crop is going to affect the market as a whole,' Vistro said. Still, they're willing to pay for ethically sourced high-quality cocoa, processed in house from bean to bar. 'A lot of cocoa that ends up in commodity products is more affordable. We are paying a premium to get high quality cocoa,' Vistro said. Vistro's advice for Valentines Day shoppers is to spring for the real thing if you're buying chocolate for your sweet heart. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
11-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
In Boston, consumers grapple with high chocolate prices ahead of Valentine's Day
BOSTON - Valentine's Day is just days away, and grocery store shelves are full of chocolate. Chocolate prices on the rise "Dark chocolate is the way to my heart," said Boston neighbor, Jessica Gullak. The sweet stuff melts Gullak's heart, but this year, the price of Valentine's Day chocolates may leave some with a bitter taste. "There's 17 pieces in here; that's almost a dollar per piece of chocolate," said Gullak. The United States is the world's largest importer of chocolate. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), between 2017-2021 the U.S. imported roughly $2.8 billion dollars worth of chocolate per year. As prices continue to rise, some shoppers are thinking twice. "It's been a pretty significant jump," said chocolatier Christine Vistro. Why is chocolate so expensive? Taza Chocolate, Vistro's employer, pays a premium for fair-trade cocoa from countries like the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Uganda. "A lot of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa. The Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 70% of all the cocoa consumed in the world today," said Vistro. According to Vistro, recent climate challenges have shrunk crops. "West Africa - they had a big drought in their crop in 2023. It was really wet in 2024, and because of the smaller crop, we've seen a really big increase in cocoa prices," said Vistro. The reduced crop has more than doubled the cost of importing beans for Taza, a Somerville small business, a cost that trickles down to the customers. "Whatever is happening at their crop is going to affect the market as a whole," said Vistro. Customers want fair-trade cocoa Still, customers are willing to pay for ethically sourced high-quality cocoa processed in-house from bean to bar. "We are paying a premium on top of the prices on the market," said Vistro. Vistro's advice for Valentine's Day shoppers: If you're buying chocolate for your sweetheart, spring for the real thing. "I would say go and get the good stuff," said Vistro.
