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Chocoa 2025: How to finance your cacao business - in a volatile market

This year, the price of cocoa and other raw materials will dominate Amsterdam's Chocoa festival. Anticipating the potential troubles ahead, an intensive two-day finance course is scheduled to equip cacao entrepreneurs with the financial knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the industry

Image shows inside Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam's former Stock Exchange.
The Chocoa Conference takes place in Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam's former Stock Exchange.

Andrea Mecozzi, a sustainable cacao sourcing expert, posted on LinkedIn that he expects the price of chocolate in Europe to increase by 30% in February due to ongoing problems with supply issues in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.

He told cocoaradar.com that in simple analysis, banks are struggling to provide liquidity to chocolate factories, and the factories have to inject cash to weather the storm for two reasons:

“First because cocoa must be paid for as soon as it is found, second because the retail market has shown signs of resilience to increases. So those who increase prices and improve profitability hold up, the others must differentiate.”

Most crucial cocoa stories this week: Barry Callebaut reports lower sales volumes, Eleanor Harrison appointed CEO of Fairtrade Foundation, Dr Randy Abbey to head up Cocobod in Ghana
Market report and latest cocoa prices

Unless you are Barry Callebaut, other cocoa operators must differentiate themselves and establish direct sourcing or enter into contracts with direct sourcing companies, as Mecozzi advises.

To help cacao entrepreneurs navigate these and other problems, Financial Tools for Cacao Entrepreneurs: Money is Not a Problem! is a session at Chocoa specially designed to equip them with the financial knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the industry. 

For example, structuring financial deals is crucial for securing capital and supporting business growth. Rabobank’s Alessandro Morgagni will guide entrepreneurs through this process in a Tuesday, session From Basics to Deal Structuring and Capital Raising.

Risk Management

Under Risk Management and Practical Application on Wednesday, 5 February, Albert Scalla and  Vladimir Zientek from US financial services StoneX will look at understanding how to negotiate and structure financial agreements. Their session will focus on identifying common risks in the cacao industry and strategies to mitigate them. Topics will include insurance and trade instruments to manage market volatility (hedging, futures, contracts).

Experts will also discuss other critical risks for investors, such as jurisdictional risks and regulatory challenges that may impact cacao businesses.

By the end of the two-day course, participants will discover how to:



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