Rising cocoa price: how to keep desserts profitable

Why are cocoa prices rising?

Cocoa is mainly grown in West Africa, particularly in Ivory Coast and Ghana. But production is under pressure: climate change, crop failures, political instability and rising demand are driving up prices. In addition, stricter trade regulations and rising transport costs are also having an impact. Prices have been rising for years, but they have now reached a record high – and restaurateurs are feeling the effects.

Securing profitability despite high prices

Caterers who don't want to do without chocolate can optimise their profits by skilfully calculating and adapting their menus:

• Use cross-selling: Chocolate dishes can be combined with matching drinks (e.g. coffee, dessert wine or flavoured teas) to increase sales per guest.
• Enhance the experience: Telling a story about the origin, production or special ingredients of chocolate desserts helps to justify a higher price. Guests are often willing to pay more for a multisensory restaurant experience as well.
• Create premium offers: Exclusive, homemade chocolate specialties or creative combinations (e.g. with exotic spices or unusual ingredients) justify higher prices and appeal to a sophisticated target group.
• Reduce the chocolate content: Instead of avoiding chocolate completely, restaurateurs can reduce its proportion in recipes by using intense flavours such as coffee, vanilla or nuts.
• Efficient purchasing: It can be worthwhile to ask suppliers about tiered pricing or long-term contracts. METRO also offers a volume discount on a wide range of products.
• Strategically adjust portions: Smaller chocolate desserts that are presented in a visually appealing way can offer the same indulgence while reducing costs by using less ingredients.

Alternatives to cocoa and chocolate

Rising cocoa prices are a challenge for restaurateurs – but instead of doing without, creative solutions are needed. With clever alternatives, costs can be reduced while keeping the dessert selection exciting. Whether it's ingredients with a chocolate flavour, sustainable use of leftovers or completely new dessert ideas – there are many ways to add sweet highlights to the menu.

• Healthy snacks: Offering alternatives to chocolate is not only worthwhile for cost reasons. Nuts and seeds, for example, provide healthy fats, proteins and fibre and contain significantly less sugar than chocolate. But fresh fruit with just a dollop of dark chocolate sauce can also be a sweet alternative.
• Ingredients with a chocolate flavour: Many ingredients give drinks or desserts a cocoa-like flavour. These include carob flour or roasted nuts such as hazelnuts or almonds, and grains such as barley and spelt.
• Clever use of cocoa residues: Those who don't want to give up chocolate completely can use the cocoa shells that accumulate when roasting cocoa beans as a flavouring ingredient for tea or hot drinks. Leftover chocolate scraps can be used to make tart sauces and garnishes. This way, restaurateurs can reduce costs and conserve resources.
• New dessert creations: It is worth integrating seasonal alternatives such as fruit tarts, pudding creations or vegan desserts into the menu. These can be adapted according to the season and bring variety to the dessert selection.

Own brands as a clever solution

Another way to counteract rising cocoa prices is to switch to own brands. They are on average 15-20% cheaper than branded products and offer restaurateurs a lower-priced alternative without compromising on quality. METRO Chef cocoa powder in 1-kg packages can be used for baked goods or desserts, for example. Rioba cocoa mixtures are suitable for cafés and bars that want to offer their guests drinking chocolate. And the Aro range also includes cocoa and chocolate products, including ready-made cocoa drinks. Ready-to-use desserts can save not only time but also money. The METRO Chef Gateaux au Chocolat can be transformed into a chocolate volcano in less than a minute in the microwave, saving valuable preparation time in busy kitchens.