By Philipp Kauffmann

The Bar Has Been Raised

While investors in 2024 were glued to AI trends and Nvidia’s meteoric rise, a quieter but perhaps more tectonic shift was happening in the world of food. Cocoa, coffee, and olive oil prices all soared. The cocoa bean, of all things, became one of the year’s most volatile assets—outpacing even Bitcoin. For food makers—from chocolatiers and pastry chefs to fine dining restaurants and specialty grocers—this isn’t just a headline. It’s the reality we live and breathe every day.

At Original Beans, where we source rare cacao directly from growers and build long-term relationships with customers alike, the cocoa crisis feels deeply personal. We didn’t cause it—our regenerative, direct-trade approach was designed to counter this exact situation—but we’re living through its ripple effects. Our task now is to explain what’s happening and help shape what’s next, together.

Roots of the Cocoa Crisis

This crisis starts in the ground. Since 2020, cocoa harvests have declined due to long-term soil exhaustion, aging trees, shifting weather patterns, and under-resourced farmers. In Ghana and Ivory Coast—responsible for over 60% of the world’s cocoa—reserves have dried up, and the resulting scramble for beans feels more like a gold rush. Buyers are offering sky-high prices; some even hire security to protect their cocoa. The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) forecasts a slight surplus this year, but at just 3% of global supply, it’s more of a sigh than a solution.

Meanwhile, farmers in Ghana are earning about $3,000 per ton through fixed government prices, while the global market soared past $10,000 this spring. Most of the roughly 5 million cocoa growing families remain thus stuck in destitute poverty. And while some new supply is emerging from Latin America and Asia, it’s often at the cost of old rainforests making place for new cocoa plantations, deepening the climate crisis. The message seems clear and we’d better spell it out: the era of “infinite” growth is coming to an end.

A Shift from Volume to Value

But limits can spark something else—creativity. Instead of trying to scale endlessly, can we shift our focus from quantity to quality? If cocoa is expensive, can we make it more exceptional? There is plenty of room to make chocolates lighter, more flavourful, less sweet, fresher. We can all learn to tell our honest, impactful stories even better. Customers are certainly willing to invest in chocolate when they understand the craft that makes it special.

Telling the tale of where cocoa comes from, who grows it, and how it’s farmed helps build trust. Even more so when the craft continues through the kitchen. Chefs like René Franck offer perspectives on pastry beyond established categories. His deep passion and ambition for chocolate in turn challenges cocoa growers to craft better cocoa, grown more holistically and productively, with less need to clear more land. This all points further: towards an ever closer collaboration between cocoa garden and chocolate kitchen.

Rethinking Recipes and Ranges

Yes, cocoa prices are high—but that doesn’t mean chocolate has to vanish. It’s an invitation to get clever. Higher-percentage chocolates can be sold in smaller portions, if they offer a richer experience. Featuring unexpected ingredients can create beautiful new flavor profiles while reducing reliance on cocoa. And sourcing every ingredient—milk, sugar, and everything in between—with care and integrity leads to more honest and inspiring products. One Berlin chocolatier laughed that their minimalist truffle line wasn’t inspired by design trends but by their latest cocoa invoice. Scarcity, it turns out, can be rather stylish.

Inviting the Customer In

Customers are part of the solution. Rather than just passing on price hikes, we can bring them along for the ride. People want to understand the why and become part of the solution. Small-batch releases are a good reflection of limits, and at the same time can feel exclusive and special. Tastings, workshops, and story-rich presentations invite people to experience chocolate as more than just a sweet treat. In Paris, pastry chef Nina Metayer has reshaped her dessert menu around the cocoa story—not just as a creative decision, but as a way to connect.

Support at the Source

If cocoa is gold, the people who grow it deserve their fair share. Most cocoa farmers still earn less than $2 a day. Direct partnerships help them plan for the future and invest in their farms. Supporting regenerative practices—planting shade trees, restoring soil, and adapting to climate shifts—makes a real difference, for them and for us. At Original Beans, we grow additional trees for every chocolate we sell. That’s not an add-on—it’s at the heart of who we are as a regenerative business.

Limits as a Call to Purpose

Food professionals of all stripes are no strangers to working within constraints. A missing delivery, a tight prep space, a surprise shortage—these aren’t new. But today’s limits feel more existential. Still, they can sharpen our sense of purpose. That minimalist truffle story? It’s more than a quip. It’s a reminder that fewer, better ingredients often tell the strongest story. Perhaps luxury, for the next generation, must mean something quieter and more thoughtful. Less excess, more intention.

Cocoa as a Climate Lens

This isn’t just a chocolate issue. Agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater waste. Land use for commodity crops like cocoa accelerates deforestation and the collapse of biodiversity. Original Beans was built on a simple, radical belief: that food can regenerate. That cocoa can restore forests, not destroy them. That farmers can be empowered stewards, not casualties of a broken system. What once felt niche now feels necessary.

Building the Future, Together

So where do we go from here? We tell the whole story—show people the hands and landscapes behind the chocolate. We choose suppliers who care for soil, people, and place. We advocate for policies that reward sustainability over short-term yields. We collaborate across kitchens, farms, and continents—because change is a team effort. And yes, we hold our heads high when it comes to pricing. It reflects care. It reflects value. It reflects a future worth investing in.

More and more, the distinction between relations and transactions helps me to understand people and navigate work. Modern business, and now politics, certainly prioritise transactions. And yet, it’s relations that open creativity, build resilience, and the most precious currency of all: trust.

Cocoa prices will eventually come down to a new (higher) normal. But the bigger questions—about limits, balance and resilience—will remain. As food professionals, we don’t just cook or craft. We create culture. We envision one rooted in respect—for ingredients, for communities, and for the planet. Let’s make food – and chocolate that is food – not simply cost more, but matter more.