Harvard Professor Carla Martin on the Cocoa Crisis

A growing cocoa deficit.

Carla Martin | photo by harvard magazine

Why have chocolate prices surged since before Valentine's Day, hitting an all time high around Easter? Some analysts have predicted that cocoa may reach highs of $10,000 a ton in this historic period of inflation, growing in value at a rate faster than bitcoin.

 

Harvard Professor Carla Martin discusses the ongoing cocoa crisis affecting farmers, supply chains, and consumers, the historical and cultural trends underlying the production and sale of chocolate, and what the immediate commercial future of chocolate looks like. Martin is a Lecturer in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and is the Founder and Executive Director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI). 

As the global cocoa shortfall continues, prices will be passed onto consumers until farmers are able to regain full yields.

Read more about Harvard African and African American Studies (AAAS): 

Read more about the science, culture, and history of chocolate:

Read more articles by Olivia Farrar
Related topics

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer is Sounding a Warning on ‘Space Junk’

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

Harvard Divinity School Sets New Priorities

After two years of turmoil, Dean Marla Frederick describes a more pluralistic future for the institution’s culture and curriculum.

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three book covers displayed on a light background, featuring titles and authors.

Must-Read Harvard Books Winter 2025

From aphorisms to art heists to democracy’s necessary conditions 

Wadsworth House with green shutters and red brick chimneys, surrounded by trees and other buildings.

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

A lively concert in a modern auditorium with an audience seated on multiple levels.

Concerts and Carols at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Tuning into one of Boston's best chamber music halls