ONCE AGAIN, THEY HAVE US AT THE ‘BEANS’…COCOA BEANS

I love almost everything chocolate. I especially love the darker types. Maybe, because studies have shown that the darker type has a great amount of flavonols. Flavonols are antioxidants which give the cocoa its pungent taste. This ingredient is excellent in the reduction of heart disease in the body.

I like to indulge in a piece of dark chocolate at the end of a meal. One with a 60% to 70% cacao.  A small piece goes a far way because it gets my endorphins ‘kicking’. I enjoy a drizzle of melted bitter/sweet chocolate on my vanilla ice-cream. It takes it to another level. When it’s chilly on the outskirts, there’s nothing like a hot cup of chocolate/cocoa to warm my heart and palate. I love to indulge in a delicious chocolate cupcake with semi-sweet dark chocolate infused.

So, over the week-end, on the news I learned that Hershey and other chocolatiers are planning on a price hike of their products. Their reason for doing so is that production has decreased with producing territories around the globe. The United States grows approximately 13% of the world’s production and the balance comes from regions like the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Is this real? Is this so-called decline in production another marketing ploy to get us to indulge in more of the dark goodness? Who knows? But, my lay person’s take is that Valentine is a couple of months away, and these chocolatiers desire us to purchase even more. Basically, it’s a way for us consumers to start thinking about Valentine which in turn will maximize profits.

Guys, my take is that we’ll be fine. I’ll continue to enjoy my dark chocolate as I so wish. I’ll not stockpile this amazing product for future consumption. Once again, it’s another way to hike their prices by getting us by the ‘beans’.