ATLANTA, Illinois — Amy Wertheim never thought she’d be affected by pirates and drought in Africa, but the third-generation chocolatier from central Illinois is experiencing just that.
Fortunately, their business also includes growing specialty crops and selling meals online, because the high prices of chocolate ingredients are difficult to handle today.
“The price of chocolate has increased more than 300% in the last three months,” he said, attributing the increase mainly to droughts in Africa.
The Ivory Coast and Ghana region, which is suffering from a prolonged drought, produces more than 70% of the world’s cocoa, said the owner of RGW Candy Co. in Atlanta.
Cocoa futures have more than doubled since the beginning of the year due to drought in major cocoa-producing areas. At the same time, ships traveling from Africa are attacked and held for ransom. Owners typically recover their boats and their contents, but must pay large ransoms, he said. This also increases the price of chocolate.
“Droughts and pirates are making my life miserable right now,” the Logan County businesswoman said.
Price increases hit Wertheim last month when she needed to buy chocolate for a large order. “I normally pay $329 to order 100 pounds and it cost me $727 or about $800 with shipping,” he said. “I had no choice.”
He got a discount from the supplier, who has served the family well for 75 years, and bought the chocolate to complete the order of his customer, who agreed to a higher price in advance.
“We really tried to hold the line,” Wertheim said.
He still uses recipes from 1908 and makes everything from scratch with minimal ingredients and no preservatives, so customers tell him they’re willing to pay because they like the taste.
Wertheim said the last few months of rising prices have been “very disruptive.” He hasn’t felt this way since 2017, when his father died and the business fell on his shoulders.
“I’ve been in the business since I was 18 months old,” he said of the responsibility he feels for the “family legacy.”
RGW Candy Company will temporarily have a minimal amount of chocolate in store, but will be back in full force in September for candy apple season.
While chocolate takes a backseat, she will focus on her herb and spice farm and Wertheim gardens, which are now the most profitable part of her business. For years, chocolate was her source of income and her farming business complemented it.
She uses ingredients grown in her garden to prepare dishes including baked spaghetti, enchiladas and homemade pasta sauces, which she sells through Market Wagon for delivery to homes in central Illinois and the St. Louis area.
Wertheim said being a harvest host also increases profits. Through the program, RVers stay at farms, vineyards and other businesses and, in return, shop at their businesses.
For another central Illinois chocolate shop, the timing is right for its annual summer closing. “We’re unique because we close during the summer,” said Zach Meyer, owner of Minonk Chocolate Company.
Summer closings have been a tradition since his family took over the business. The original chocolate business began in Minonk in 1915; Meyer’s mother and aunt ran it from 1995 until 2021.
The Minonk store will reopen Tuesday after Labor Day, said Meyer, who expects prices to stay high.
“We’ll take it as it comes,” he said.
This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and agriculture news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.
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