The price of cocoa, the key ingredient of chocolate, increased by 68% in the past year. The reason? Extreme weather conditions in two West African countries, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Together they produce 58% of the world’s cocoa.

Cocoa trees grow best in the belt between 10° north and south of the equator. The trees’ natural habitat is in the lower storey of rainforests where rainfall is high throughout the year and temperatures are uniform.

Heavy rains in 2023 damaged the crop in those two countries, but shifting rainfall patterns and hotter temperatures in West Africa lie at the root of a bigger problem. Researchers project that by 2050 the areas suitable for cocoa production will shrink dramatically.

About 73% of the world’s cocoa beans come from Africa. Cameroon and Nigeria follow Ecuador to make up the top 5 cocoa-producing countries.