A local chocolatier says cocoa prices have been on the rise for the past few years, but a sudden jump last week comes as a shock.

Newfoundland Chocolate Company owner, Christina Dove, says last year they were paying nearly $2/kg for cocoa, but a sudden jump last week now puts their price at $10/kg.

She says the reason behind the “all time high” price is a shortage fueled by climate change and farmer compensation.

Cocoa pods are not growing as fast and plentiful as they used to due to climate change. Another big issue, says Dove, is many farmers have abandoned their old farms to start new farms with fresh soil, but don’t have the support or funding to replenish their crops to meet demands.

Dove says they’ve been monitoring their stock for years and aren’t particularly worried about supply issues at their factory.

However, the company has taken measures to avoid passing increased costs onto customers.

She says packaging and some of their in-house processes have changed in a way that does not compromise the quality of their product. Instead of getting some products shipped in, they now make their own jam, caramel, and marshmallow which allows them to offset the rising costs of cocoa.