Cocoa Prices

Cocoa and green tea may counter high-fat food effects under stress

Cocoa or green tea could counter the negative effects of high-fat food which tend to worsen during times of stress, a new study has found. Researchers said that food choices made while feeling stressed can influence how stress impacts heart health. The team from the University of Birmingham, UK, found that while high-fat foods can negatively affect the function of blood vessels and oxygen reaching the brain, flavanol-rich cocoa and green tea can protect vascular function (vessels) during periods of everyday stress. "We took a group of young healthy adults and gave them two butter croissants with 10 grams salted butter, 1.5 slices of cheddar cheese and 250 millilitres whole milk as breakfast and either a high-flavanol cocoa or a low-flavanol cocoa drink," first author Rosalind Baynham, University of Birmingham, explained. "Following (an eight minute-long) rest period, we asked the participants to complete a mental maths test which increased in speed for eight minutes, alerting them

Ivory Coast expects cocoa output to grow by 10% in current season

The director of domestic marketing at the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC), Arsene Dadie, said although the first projections for the 2024/25 harvest showed positive signs in September

Choco companies rely on developing cocoa substitutes other than cocoa beans

Climate change is stressing rainforests where the highly sensitive cocoa bean grows, but chocolate lovers need not despair, say companies that are researching other ways to grow cocoa or develop cocoa substitutes. Scientists and entrepreneurs are working on ways to make more cocoa that stretch well beyond the tropics, from Northern California to Israel. California Cultured, a plant cell culture company, is growing cocoa from cell cultures at a facility in West Sacramento, California, with plans to start selling its products next year. It puts cocoa bean cells in a vat with sugar water so they reproduce quickly and reach maturity in a week rather than the six to eight months a traditional harvest takes, said Alan Perlstein, the company's chief executive. The process also no longer requires as much water or arduous labour. We see just the demand of chocolate monstrously outstripping what is going to be available, Perlstein said. There's really no other way that we see that the world .

Cocoa prices recover after slumping 20% amid record low liquidity

July London cocoa futures on the ICE exchange fell nearly 15% on Monday for their largest one-day loss and then lost more than 10% at the market open on Tuesday

Dining out? Be ready to shell out more as food commodity prices surge

With a rise in cocoa prices due to adverse weather conditions in the African regions as well as surging prices of palm oil, coffee beans, and sugar, the usual plate is all set to cost more

After China, Cote d'lvoire eyes Indian investment in cocoa processing

After China, Cote d'lvoire -- the world's largest producer of cocoa -- is eying investments from India to establish cocoa processing units and for direct sale of cocoa products. State-owned Transcao, established in February 2019, to encourage production of value-added products of cocoa to ensure better returns to local farmers, has already received an investment of 255 million Euro from China for two greenfield projects here. With demand for cocoa reaching a saturation point in the US and Europe, Cote d'lvoire, known as Ivory Coast, is focusing on transformation of cocoa and exploring collaborations with Asian countries. "With India having the largest consumer base. Cote d'lvoire is very keen to have stronger ties with South Asian nations," Transcao General Manager Colulibaly Konan Theodore told PTI in an interview. Currently, Transcao -- also called Societe De Transformation De Cacao Cote D'lvoire -- is in the process of setting up two greenfield projects with a total processing

Cote d'lvoire announces farm gate price of cocoa at Rs 1,000 CNF Franc/kg

Cote d'lvoire, the world's largest cocoa producer and exporter, on Saturday announced the farm gate price of 1,000 CNF Franc per kilogram (Rs 133.09 )for the main crop of the 2023-24 marketing year starting October 1. The cocoa farm gate price, which is similar to India's minimum support price fixed for a dozen commodities, is a rate below which buyers are not allowed to pay. The farm gate price for cocoa, largely used in manufacturing chocolate, was at 900 CFA Franc per kilogram (Rs 120 per kg). CFA Franc is the currency of Cote d'lvoire. In India, no farm gate price is fixed for cocoa but usually the market rate of the commodity is higher. India produces only 27,000 tonne cocoa annually but imports about 1 lakh tonne of cocoa products. Announcing the price, Cote d'lvoire Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani said: " We have fixed the cocoa farm gate price at 1,000 CNF Franc per kg for the main crop of this year. I declare 2023-24 marketing ...

Chocolate prices can rise even further if Africa's cocoa crop fails

For now, how West Africa's harvest fares will be the key driver of cocoa prices

Chocolates may bite as rise in demand pushes cocoa prices at 46-year-high

Most chocolates contain 50% sugar and only 30% cocoa, thus the impact on chocolates will not be as steep as in the prices of cocoa

Top cocoa grower has to end subsidies for $3.5 bn IMF loan

Ivory Coast's public debt is expected to increase to 63.3% of gross domestic product this year from 56.8% in 2022, according to IMF data

African cocoa giants make new move in spat with chocolate sector

For now, it looks like the cocoa-growing giants will continue to struggle to receive the full combined premiums

Cocoa prices decline 30-40% on last season's bumper crop, low global demand

A slowdown in demand from domestic chocolate manufacturers adds to farmers' woes