Cacao, an Increasingly Scarce Commodity

Since 2023, the main cocoa-producing regions of the world—Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Cameroon—have been suffering an unprecedented crisis.

Torrential rains, floods, and crop diseases have drastically reduced production. Added to this is a turbulent political context in West Africa, with social tensions and changes of government that have affected the stability of the sector. The result: the largest cocoa deficit in the last sixty years and a historic price escalation.

For years, the large chocolate corporations—Nestlé, Cadbury, Milka, and others—accumulated cocoa reserves anticipating a scenario of scarcity. At the same time, the West African region went through a stage of strong political instability, with coups d’état and diplomatic tensions in countries neighboring the producing areas, which complicated transport, exports, and agricultural investment.

That combination—regional insecurity, climate crisis, and speculation by large companies—led to the price of cocoa reaching record levels in 2024 and 2025, exceeding $12,000 USD per ton.

At Abuela Ili, this global phenomenon has also affected us. Our chocolates are made with top-quality cocoa, and maintaining that raw material—without resorting to mixtures or substitutes—has been a huge effort. We have had to partially adjust our prices to be able to continue producing with the same standard that characterizes us. We don’t hide it: producing today costs much more than just a year ago.

Even so, we decided not to pass on the entire increase to the consumer. We assume part of the increase in our margins because we believe that quality is not negotiable. We prefer to earn less rather than cheapen the product. This commitment to authenticity is what differentiates us: we continue to be an artisanal chocolate shop, true to its recipes, its slow processes, and the real value of what we do.

The international outlook remains uncertain: African crops will not recover overnight, and prices will remain high as long as the climate and political instability continue to affect production. But at Abuela Ili we will continue to work with transparency, taking care of the raw material and defending a simple idea: good chocolate is worth what it costs, but it also costs to keep it good.

Each bar tells a story made with love in the Alpujarra ❤
Discover more at abuelailichocolates.com