Most people who grew up eating chocolate will remember it as a cheap candy, something you bought from the store for less than a dollar. So to most people, the idea of a $10 chocolate bar⁠— or a $5 or $15 chocolate bar⁠— is ludicrous. What could possibly cost so much? But the real question you should be asking is why was it so cheap in the first place?

After all, cacao is grown in tropical regions around the world, and most often shipped to a western country to be turned into chocolate. Just the physical inputs alone should push the price sky high, yet those chocolate candy bars are as cheap as ever. Today’s episode is an exploration of why that is, and the varied places from which all those extra costs in craft chocolate arise. Hint: the materialsthemselves are not really the culprit.

To read an article related to this episode, click here.

Show notes: https://damecacao.com/chocolate-on-the-road-hidden-costs/

Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chocolateontheroad/