Civil War In Ivory Coast Sends LA Chocolate Prices Soaring
BEVERLY HILLS (CBS) — As the dramatic battle for power continues to rage in the Ivory Coast, the ongoing civil war has brought cocoa bean exports to a halt — a bitter development for local chocolate purveyors.
Diane Kron of K Chocolatier in Beverly Hills and Malibu tells KNX 1070 chocolate lovers don't have much of an appetite for prices going higher than they already are.
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"Most chocolate products have gone up [in price]," said Kron. "I don't think they're going to come down, because once they go up they never seem to come down."
Kron says a lot of other companies try to lock in their prices over a longer term so they can avoid the fluctuations -- or they simply look for other sources.
"Ivory Coast does really supply 40 percent of the world's cocoa, but that is to the general market, not necessarily to high-end chocolatiers."
In addition to cocoa beans, sugar amounts used in candy and other variables in chocolate production make it difficult to predict how high — or how long — of an increase to expect.
Forces who support the country's democratically elected president say they have surrounded the property where Laurent Gbagbo (BAHG'-boh) is holed up and plan to stay there until they secure his removal from office.
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