In bad news for lovers of sweet treats, the cost of chocolate in Switzerland is expected to rise by up to 10 percent over the next year. Swiss chocolate makers have cited rising production costs as the catalyst.
In an email leaked to Blick, Honold, a confectionery business based in Zurich, confirmed that it would be increasing the price of its “processed specialities” by around 8 percent on average. For chocolate coatings like couverture, the price will rise by a whopping 27 percent.
Speaking to the newspaper, Confiserie Sprüngli confirmed that some but not all of its chocolates would also increase in price in 2025. Confiserie Bachmann said that its prices would rise by “around 3 percent”, Lindt & Sprüngli confirmed that a “further price increase will be necessary for 2025", Cailler will “slightly adjust” its prices upwards, while Camille Bloch noted that a gradual 10 percent price hike “cannot be avoided.”
Even the major supermarkets in Switzerland are affected. Speaking to Blick, a spokesperson for Migros confirmed that a 100-gram bar of Frey Giandor milk will now cost 2,45 francs instead of 2,20, while Coop has raised the price of a number of both home brand and premium branded chocolates.
The main reason behind the rise is soaring cocoa prices across the world. Data from finance portal Finanzen.ch noted that in June 2023, the cost of a ton of cocoa stood at 3.000 francs. Today, it costs around 9.500 francs, dramatically increasing the price of luxury Swiss chocolates. Generally speaking, the darker the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains and therfore the more expensive it has become.
Chocolate manufacturers speaking to Blick blamed the rising cocoa prices on the fact that West Africa - where around 70 percent of the world’s cocoa comes from - has seen several poor harvests in recent years. This has mingled with high demand from manufacturers and market speculation to create the high prices we see on the shelves today.