Easter week is massive for candy sales, ranking as the second-biggest candy-consuming holiday after Halloween, with sales often exceeding $5 billion.
Norm Candlelore, VP of retail sales with Sarris Candies out of Canonsburg tells The Big K Morning Show, their entire store is overhauled for the Easter holiday.
But, the cost of chocolate is up significantly for Easter, due to record-high cocoa prices.
Adverse weather and crop diseases in West Africa are behind higher costs for cocoa, and there are other factors.
“The government, the country, the politics, the cocoa beans, this stuff is not made in America, it comes across here, there are tariffs involved now, there’s high cost of everything involved now,” said Candlelore.
Chocolate prices are up by more than 14% so far this year.
