What we're seeing in the U.S., including higher prices, smaller sizes and less cocoa in some products, reflects longer-term adjustments. Prices are likely to stay high through 2026 and could climb further if supply expectations don't hold.
Kirk Tanner, The Hershey Company CEO, stated, 'We're going to make some small investments to really align the portfolio to what the brand stands for. That consistency is important across the brand.'
Quality chocolate delivers better flavor, texture, and overall experience. Higher-quality cacao has more complexity, with notes that can be fruity, nutty, floral, or earthy instead of simply sweet or bitter. It also melts more cleanly because it relies on cocoa butter rather than cheaper fats.
I took two bites and I had to spit it out, Reese says. I've never had that happen to me, ever, in the 70 years of my life. There was no taste. It was inedible. Reese took a closer look at the packaging, specifically the ingredients. He noticed that instead of milk chocolate, the mini hearts were covered in a chocolate-flavored coating that was mostly sugar and vegetable oil; the list of ingredients contained a disclaimer that the candy contained less than 2% cocoa.
When the Paiter Surui community expelled the last invaders of their land in 1981, they faced a divisive decision. Should they keep the coffee plantations left by the colonisers? Some destroyed them because of the death and violence contact with the non-Indigenous world had caused. Others felt sorry for the trees and couldn't kill them.
With less money coming in, the 52-year-old Fofie in Ghana has taken the desperate step of giving part of his land to illegal sand miners, a lucrative practice driven by high construction demand since sand is used in concrete. The cost is severe, however: the sand mining makes the land infertile.
Coffee byproducts offer a promising, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative for improving the functional and ecological performance of bio/edible films. These agro-industrial residues exhibit a richness in biofunctional compounds such as polyphenols, caffeine and dietary fibers, which contribute significant antioxidant, antimicrobial and UV-barrier properties, making them ideal candidates for applications in active food packaging.
The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution March 10, while inviting the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to help facilitate the annual observance in collaboration with relevant organizations, particularly the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
A good cup of coffee (decaf included) delivers on all fronts: Flavor, acidity, body, sweetness, and balance, aka The Pleasure Principle. The infamously-snobbish coffee élite might maintain that decaf drinkers aren't "real coffee fans." But, as a veteran barista, I would argue that the opposite is actually true: Only the most diehard bean-heads tread decaf domain.
A moratorium that has protected vital rainforest since 2009 is on shaky ground as several players from Brazil's soy industry say they are pulling out. Specifically, the Brazilian industry association ABIOVE, whose members include global companies such as Cofco International, Bunge, Amaggi and JBS, have said they will no longer refrain from growing soy on deforested land. Environmentalists fear this could fuel a new wave of Amazon logging.
When you're treating yourself to a quality bar of chocolate, you're going to be a lot more discerning in your choices than when it comes to grabbing a mass-produced candy bar. You're likely going to pay attention to the percentage of cocoa content, the list of ingredients, and of course the price. But if you're not checking the origin of the cacao, you're missing out on a big piece of the puzzle.
Many of the Easter eggs already out on supermarket shelves this month not only cost more, but have been reduced in size or weight as the price of cocoa has driven a new wave of shrinkflation. Maltesers is living up to its the lighter way to enjoy chocolate slogan with its XL egg rather less large this year at 194g in many shops, down from 231g in 2025, while the price charged by Tesco has risen by 1 to 7.
Outside, it's an overcast and blustery February day in Kent hardly the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Yet inside the enormous glasshouses run by grower Thanet Earth, the climate has been optimised to a humid 20C, perfect for the regimented rows of small pepper plants poking out of raised trays. Growing fresh produce indoors in the south of England year-round requires plenty of energy to provide light, warmth and carbon dioxide.
A chocolate box is not a substitute for true love. But sometimes it's close enough. The best chocolate boxes can offer all the complexity and intensity of a brief love affair, and more variety than some lives. Sometimes, only the best will do. And these days, the best chocolates in existence are a mere mouse-click away, able to be ordered online and sent to your favorite human being on earth (even if it's you).
... Kauai Coffee is a fully integrated premium specialty coffee company. What that means is that we grow the coffee and put it all the way to the bag, all here on the island of Kauai. To do that, we have about 4 million coffee trees, and we farm about 3,000 acres. We harvest anywhere from 10 to 12 million pounds of cherry coffee, which needs to be processed into about a million to 2 million pounds of green coffee.
