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Chocolate gets rarer

A ban in Africa cuts down on supply

By
March 10, 2011

Sure, the prices of most foods have risen dramatically around the globe in recent years, driven up by a variety of factors, including production costs, energy costs, biofuels, supply and demand, and the like. The chocolate price saga, however, is sadly specific: just one African country, the Ivory Coast, produces 40 percent of the world’s raw cacao, and it’s currently sinking into a civil war. If the current ban on exporting cocoa beans from the country holds, look for chocolate prices to soar.

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1. by sut on Mar 11, 2011 at 11:46 AM PST

To all you Portland-area residents: Chocosphere is based in Portland and pickup is free, so get your Valrhona baking chocolate while it’s still only outrageously expensive.

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