Regional suppliers feel strain of climate change as price of coffee and cocoa surge
NBC5 asked local coffee roasters and chocolatiers to discuss the impact of changing weather patterns on the industry while demand continues to skyrocket.
NBC5 asked local coffee roasters and chocolatiers to discuss the impact of changing weather patterns on the industry while demand continues to skyrocket.
NBC5 asked local coffee roasters and chocolatiers to discuss the impact of changing weather patterns on the industry while demand continues to skyrocket.
Coffee roasters and chocolatiers alike are feeling the strain as changing weather patterns continue to impact costs across the industry.
Regional suppliers who spoke with NBC5 said cultivators are facing "the perfect storm," from diseased plants, limited planting space, and the most unpredictable variable, changing climate patterns.
"This is dragging on, and we don't know. Could it change tomorrow? Yes. But it hasn't changed in four years really," said Dwane Bast, head roaster at Adirondack Coffee Roasters.
Adirondack Coffee Roasters in Plattsburgh has been in the business of coffee since 2007 and is no stranger to the occasional price hike.
Bast said over the last couple of years, prices have continued to increase.
"Prior to COVID-19, what I was paying $175 for is now $259. That's about a 50% increase on the cost side," he said.
A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the cost to produce coffee is greatly affected by climate change.
"Coffee production is a fragile sector tormented by enormous challenges. Climate Change is the most pressing issue, expected to reduce worldwide yield and decrease coffee-suitable land by 2050."
Similar challenges are also proving to be a hurdle for the chocolate industry.
"Climate change is a big one. There's been some diseased plants, limited new tree planting, as well as cacao producers moving on... all of those things coupled together have resulted in a shortage of cacao over the last three years while demand continues to rise," said Meghan Fitzpatrick with Lake Champlain Chocolates.
Lake Champlain Chocolates said their crops are cultivated in Peru, the Dominican Republic, and the Ivory Coast, which is responsible for about 90% of chocolate cultivation worldwide.
As the company works to mitigate costs, they are leaning on what they do best: selling chocolate treats filled with an array of delicious fillings inside.
"We're just trying to be as proactive as possible and kind of looking at everything like the ingredients that we're using, the packaging, the size of the products [while] trying to minimize the price increase as much as we can to the consumer," said Fitzpatrick.
Experts from both industries said they are hoping to see some relief soon before they're forced to adjust their price tags.
"We hate going up, but our costs have gone up [and] we're paying the bills and we're doing okay. But we're going to have to balance it out," said Bast.
For now, Adirondack Coffee Roasters has increased wholesale prices while keeping the pressure off regular retail customers.
As for Lake Champlain Chocolates, supply is secured for about the next 12 months.
But this upcoming summer, chocolate may not be so sweet, with costs expected to go up at their retail sites.