If you’ve noticed the price of chocolate creeping up lately, you’re not imagining it.
The price of cacao — the essential ingredient in real chocolate — has hit record highs in 2025.

But here’s the thing most people don’t realise: paying more for chocolate isn’t just inevitable… it’s essential if we want chocolate to have a future.

The Global Cacao Price Surge

Cacao prices have risen dramatically in the last year. Industry analysts point to a mix of factors:

• Climate change reducing yields in key growing regions.

• Cacao crop diseases damaging harvests.

• Years of underpayment forcing farmers to abandon cacao for other crops.

Most of the world’s cacao comes from West Africa, with smaller amounts from South America and Asia. In many of these regions, farmers have historically been paid less than the cost of production. Now, as conditions worsen, the global supply chain is feeling the impact — and it’s showing up in the cost of your chocolate bar.

Cheap Chocolate Has a Hidden Cost

When you see chocolate at a bargain-basement price, the savings don’t come from efficiency — they come from somewhere else.
And usually, that “somewhere” is the pocket of the cacao farmer.

Low prices mean:

• Farmers can’t afford to maintain healthy crops.

• Next year’s harvest suffers.

• The cycle of poverty deepens in farming communities.

It’s a broken system — and if it continues, high-quality chocolate could become a rarity.

Our Choice at Federation Chocolate

Here in Tasmania, we make all our chocolate bean-to-bar using ethically sourced cacao. The cacao we buy now costs significantly more than it did even a year ago.

We’ve had to make a choice:

1. Cut costs by buying cheaper beans and compromising quality.

2. Pay farmers fairly and maintain the exceptional quality our customers expect.

We choose quality and ethics — every single time. That means our chocolate prices reflect the true cost of making chocolate the right way.

Why Paying More Protects the Future of Chocolate

When you choose to pay a little more for your chocolate, you’re doing more than buying flavour. You’re investing in the entire supply chain — from farm to finished block.

It means:

• 🌱 Sustainable farming: Farmers can earn a living wage and reinvest in their land.

• 🍫 Quality preserved: The rich flavours of real chocolate remain available to you.

• 🌍 A secure future: Cacao remains a viable crop for generations.

Without fair prices, cacao farming will continue to decline — and the future of real chocolate will be at risk.

Will Customers Support Ethical Chocolate?

The question now is whether the market will embrace the true cost of chocolate production, or continue to chase the cheapest option.

At Federation Chocolate, we believe our customers care — about taste, quality, and the people who make chocolate possible. Every purchase you make is a vote for the kind of chocolate you want to see in the world.

Support Ethical Chocolate Today

If you believe in paying farmers fairly and protecting the future of chocolate, choose chocolate made from ethically sourced cacao.

📍 Visit us in Richmond, Tasmania, or
🛒 Shop online: https://www.federationchocolate.com/collections/best-selling-chocolate