Thursday afternoon, Nancy Williams was busy dipping strawberries in chocolate at her downtown Brainerd chocolate shop, Fancy Pants Chocolates. With two days to go before the holiday widely associated with the ubiquitous treat, preparation is key.
"Valentine's Day, it's super busy, like five times busier," Williams said. "Christmas is huge, but Valentine's is Christmas on steroids."
She expects the biggest rush for truffles and other chocolaty delights to come today and Saturday, although she has had some V-Day shoppers throughout the week.
"I'm really, really proud of the men this year," she said and laughed. "I had four guys in on Monday buying their Valentine's presents. Usually it's 4 o'clock on the afternoon of Valentine's Day that I get a rush of guys."
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"Christmas is huge, but Valentine's is Christmas on steroids." - Nancy Williams describing last-minute customer rush.
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The demand is unsurprising. Research by Nielsen found around 58 million pounds of chocolate candy are consumed during the week of Valentine's Day in the United States, amounting to about 5 percent of annual chocolate sales.
A recent survey found the average American celebrating the holiday will spend just shy of $135 on candy, cards, dinner and gifts. That figure may rise depending on whether a loved one is a chocolate lover. Cocoa prices skyrocketed last year by around 50 percent, leading major chocolate producers to raise prices and shrink portions.
The New York Times reports Hershey and other brands have raised prices by as much as 8 percent, and Mars Chocolate recently announced they also intend to raise prices on the some 400 million M&M candies produced each day and other products.
Williams said she has not noticed an increase in wholesale chocolate prices, nor has she raised prices in her shop. In fact, shipping costs for the chocolate she uses to make her treats, sourced from Belgium and Colombia, have gone down thanks to lower gasoline prices, she said. She attributed some of the concerns about a chocolate shortage to media hype.
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This is partly the case, as it's very unlikely candy shelves will be half-empty in five years. Current projections have cocoa supplies falling short of demand by more than 1 million tons by 2020, according to Mars, unless changes are made in the industry. This has the potential to lead to even higher prices for the average consumer. As chocolate consumption continues to rise and demand increases in the developing world, producers are looking for ways to ensure the market is sustainable.
To combat the oncoming supply problem, Mars has launched the Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, made up of several programs intended to improve cocoa farmer income and decrease environmental impact, among other initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Vision for Change program that aims to work directly with farmers in Ivory Coast in west Africa, where two-thirds of the world's cocoa is farmed. The program's goals are to increase cocoa yields while also instructing farmers on environmentally friendly farming practices, utilized to reverse nutrient loss in soils, for example. The intent is also to help locals rise from poverty by encouraging investments into communities.
Mars has pledged all of its cocoa will be certified sustainable by 2020. As of 2013, the company said 30 percent of its cocoa was certified. For more information on the Mars initiative, visit mars.com/global/about-mars/mars-pia/our-supply-chain/cocoa.aspx.
As for this Valentine's Day, there is still plenty of chocolate to go around, whether one's preference is for white, milk or dark varieties. Some of William's selections include chocolate-covered caramel hearts topped with Himalayan sea salt, truffles featuring numerous varieties of cream centers, chocolate-covered cherries and turtle candies of various sizes. She prepares batches of her treats daily.
"It's hard sometimes to keep up and have everything on hand," she said.
CHELSEY PERKINS may be reached at 855-5874 or chelsey.perkins@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchChelsey .
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