The company confirmed today it will be broadening its cocoa sources, supplementing its beans from Ghana (which had been Whittaker’s sole source) with those from other African countries.
“We wanted to be upfront with Whittaker’s Chocolate Lovers about why we need to have a more diverse cocoa supply chain,” explained co-chief operating officer Matt Whittaker.
“The reality is that the global cocoa shortage looks set to continue, which is also unfortunately likely to have ongoing impacts on the price of all chocolate into the future.”
The decision was made to ensure it could continue making its chocolate in New Zealand, the company told the Herald.
The chocolate industry here and around the world has had a challenging year. 2024 has seen record global prices for cocoa beans, and growers in Ghana have experienced poor harvests and the country is also facing economic challenges.
These supply challenges have led Whittaker’s to expand its sourcing, and it had been working “for some time” on finding new suppliers for cocoa beans.
It told the Herald that beans would be sourced from a “range of countries” including Uganda and Cote d’Ivoire, depending on availability.
The company had “identified additional sources of cocoa bean supply in Africa that meet our stringent ethical standards” said Whittaker.
These include its commitment to only using fully traceable and 100% Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa beans
These will be blended with Ghanaian beans, which would remain the main variety in order to “maintain the same taste and quality” that customers expected of the brand’s chocolate.
Whittaker’s told the Herald it wasn’t able to give an exact percentage.
“We can’t be specific about the ratio of other beans used as it may vary based on the specific origin of the supplementary cocoa beans we are using (given that cocoa beans do have slightly distinctive flavours based on origin) and supply considerations.”
The new blends would be hitting New Zealand shelves later this year.
“We anticipate they will start appearing in-store from early December, depending on when retailers are restocking.”
Shoppers will notice a change to the chocolate packaging, with Ghana no longer referenced on the back of each block.
“We are progressively updating all our packaging, with the transition occurring from mid-November to around mid-March.”
Customers were informed today via the company’s social media channels, with the response mostly favourable.
Whittaker’s has been frank that the move is a direct response to the global cocoa shortage.
Cocoa beans drying on raised beds at a cocoa co-operative in Ghana.
Cocoa growers in Africa have been affected by weather, which has seen their harvests down 40% on 2023.
Ghana has had poor yields in recent years. Last month Reuters reported that the country had lost 160,000 tonnes of coca due to smuggling – a third of its harvest. An anti-smuggling taskforce had been established, and farmgate prices for beans had risen 45% in an effort to prevent the practice.
They’ve contributed to the rising cost of groceries, The Herald’s Liam Dann explains, with “soaring” chocolate and olive oil prices contributing to New Zealand’s annual food price inflation.
While Kiwi shoppers reconsider what’s going into their weekly shop, local businesses have also looked to absorb rising prices.
