Impact of historically high cocoa costs on the chocolate industry

Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium, a longtime vendor at the York State Fair, is facing challenges due to rising chocolate prices. The owner, Issac Bucher, has had to discontinue making dark chocolate caramel sea salt fudge, a popular flavor, because of the increased cost of chocolate. The global cocoa supply shortage, caused by weather disruptions in West Africa, has led to higher chocolate prices and changes in the local chocolate industry. Confectioners like Bucher are making tough decisions about their product offerings while waiting for prices to stabilize, with hopes for a return to normalcy in the future.