Easter chocolate in Luxembourg gets more expensive due to record cocoa prices

Chocolate is becoming increasingly expensive in Luxembourg - and it's not just a feeling, it's an economic reality. The price per tonne of cocoa has tripled in two years, from €4,000 to almost €12,000. This jump, caused by a global shortage of cocoa beans, has hit local sweet producers directly, especially in the run-up to Easter, the season when demand for chocolate eggs and bunnies peaks.

Alexandra Kahn, director of Luxembourg-based chocolatier Genaveh, confirms: "We had to buy cocoa at full price, but also sugar and nuts - all the ingredients have risen sharply in price. Maison Oberweis explains that prices had to be raised by 10-15 per cent to maintain the same quality.

However, it is not only artisan chocolatiers that have been affected by the price increase. According to Janssen Liu of the Luxembourg Food and Trade Federation, supermarkets and wholesalers have also come under pressure, but are trying "not to pass the entire price increase on to the consumer".

Genaveh claims that the price increases have been gradual and within "reasonable limits", with some of the costs absorbed by the firm itself. This has allowed customer loyalty to be maintained despite the overall price increase.

But sweet lovers should not relax. According to information from Auchan, another rise in the purchase price of chocolate is expected in the coming months, which will again affect the retail price.