>> IF YOU'VE SHOPPED FOR CHOCOLATE LATELY YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT YOUR FAVORITE ITEMS ARE EITHER SMALLER OR MORE EXPENSIVE AND SOMETIMES BOTH.

THE PRICE OF COCOA IS THE HIGHEST IT'S EVER BEEN IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS IT'S NEARLY DOUBLED.

THIS WORLDWIDE SHORTAGE HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING.

>> IT'S A SWEET TREAT AND CAN BE AN AFFORDABLE INDULGENCE BUT THE RISING COST OF COCOA COULD SOON LEAVE A BITTER TASTE IN THE MOUTHS OF CHOCOHOLICS >> THE PEOPLE AFFECTED WOULD BE THE CHOCOLATE LOVERS WHO REALLY WANT TO BUY GOOD QUALITY CHOCOLATE AT EXTREMELY LOW PRICES.

>> COCOA BEANS IS AN EXTREMELY VULNERABLE CROP.

>> TELL NINO LAST YEAR CAUSED PARTICULARLY HOT, WET WEATHER IN WESTERN AFRICA, WHICH HAS IMPACTED THE QUALITIES OF THE COCOA HARVEST.

IN ADDITION, THERE'S A DISEASE WHICH IS SWEEPING THROUGH THE WEST AFRICAN COCOA CROPS CALLED SWALLOW SHOOT DISEASE AND THIS IS DECIMATING THE HARVEST.

>> WEST AFRICA ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 70% OF THE WORLD'S COCOA SUPPLY BUT LOW HARVESTS HAVE TIGHTENED FARMERS' MARGINS.

GHANA IS ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT PLACES AND FARMERS LIKE THIS ARE STRUGGLING TO KEEP FAMILY FARMS AFLOAT.

>> WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PRODUCE THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF COCOA BEANS UP EXPECTED SO YOU PRODUCE LESS.

YOU TAKE THIS SMALL AMOUNT TO THE MARKET, YOU DON'T GET MORE MONEY.

>> MOST OF THE FARMS IN WEST AFRICA ARE UNDER 10 ACRES.

THE FARMERS WHO CULTIVATE THEM EARN LESS THAN $2 PER DAY.

>> THIS HAS COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF A LONG TERM UNDER PAYMENT OF THE FARMERS.

>> ALSO, RISING PRODUCTION COSTS.

FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE DUE TO INFLATION AND THE WAR AND UKRAINE AND MORE NECESSARY AS FARMS AGE AND ERRATIC WEATHER AFFECTS THE RISK OF DISEASE.

PLANTING COCOA ALONGSIDE OTHER TREES WOULD MAKE CROPS MORE RESILIENT BUT MORE EXPENSIVE UP FRONT.

>> THE TERMS OF THE COCOA TREE OR BEAN.

IN TERMS OF THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF THE FARMER.

>> RAMPANT ILLEGAL GOLD MINING ALSO THREATENS THE COCOA FARMS.

>> TODAY WE DON'T GET LABOR BECAUSE INSIDE OF GOING TO WORK FOR A COCOA FARMER, YOU COULD GO WORK FOR A MINER WHOLE PAY HIM A HUGE AMOUNT.

>> THE MINERS ALSO HELP EXTRACT THE GOLD THAT LIES BEYOND THE COCOA TREES.

THIS IS A FARMER HARVESTING ONE OF HER COCOA TREES JUST LAST YEAR.

THIS IS HER LAND TODAY, RANCHED BY MINERS.

>> MY TOIL, MY LIVELIHOOD WAS DESTROYED.

I'VE NO SOURCE OF INCOME ANYWHERE.

>> ONCE THE GOLD IS EXTRACTED.

THE PITS OF MERCURY AND HEAVY METAL LEI IN WATER POLLUTE THE WATERWAYS THAT SUPPLY FARMS MILES AWAY.

>> IN THE PROCESS OF THEIR MINING THEY DESTROYED SOME OF MY COCOA TREES AND WHETHER I COMPLAINED, IT ALWAYS TURNED SOUR.

SOME OF THEM EVEN THREATENED ME AND MADE DEATH THREATS.

>> COCOA FARMING ISN'T JUST A DANGEROUS BUSINESS, IT'S NOT VERY PROFITABLE.

>> PEOPLE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN BECOMING COCAOA FARMERS BECAUSE THEY'RE DON'T SEE COCOA FARMING AS A GOOD BILLS VENN CULTURE.

>> BECAUSE THE HIGH PRICE DOESN'T REACH THE FARMERS GROWING IT.

IT'S MEANT TO INSURANCE LAITH FARMERS FROM LOW PRICES BUT OFTEN OUT OF STEP WITH THE MARKET.

IN EARLY APRIL, THE GHANA COCOA BOARD SAID IT WOULD RAISE THE PRICE OVER 80% BUT NOWHERE NEAR WHAT THE THAT WERERS NEED TO STAY AFLOAT.

>> THEY DECIDE THE PRICE FOR YOU, IF FARMER, WHO ARE VERY NOT EVEN -- >> FURTHER, OFFICE SUPPLY CHAINS, BIG COMPANIES LIKE HERSHEY AND CADBURY ARE RISING PRICES AND ALSO CHANGING RECIPES.

>> ONE STRATEGY IS TO REFORMULATE THE CHOCOLATES AND INCRISIS MORE NON-CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS, MAYBE MORE WAIVERS AND REDUCING THE COCOA CONTENT SO THEY COULD STILL PROVIDE THE SAME SIZE TO A CONSUMER BUT CONTAINS MORE NONCHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS.

>> THE SWISS COMPANY TOBLERONE HAD TO MOVE SOME PRODUCTION OUT OF SWITZERLAND TO REDUCE COSTS.

SOME COMPANIES ARE CREATING NEW FLAVORS AND FACTORING OTHER CANDY.

CALIFORNIA BASED VOYAGE FOODS IS MAKING CHOCOLATE WIT COKE -- WIT COCOA.

>> KELSEY TINNY IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

>> IT'S NOT OUR AIM TO REPLACE COCA HAS A COMMODITY GLOBALLY.

WE WERE WE ARE LOOKING TO BUMP OUT THE SUPPLY COMPLAIN AND CREATE A PRODUCT THAT CAN BE USED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN YOUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE FROM THE GROCERY STORE.

>> THE KEY INGREEN -- GRAPE SEEDS.

>> IF YOU'VE TASTED A ROCA COW SEED, IT TASTES NOTHING LIKE A CHOCOLATE BAR.

WE AIM TO RECREATE A FINAL PRODUCT THROUGH DIFFERENT STARTING MATERIAL.

>> THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO REPLICATE CHOCOLATE THROUGH THE DECADES BUT FOR NOW THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE THAT CAN MEET GLOBAL DEMAND AND THAT'S WHY HE SAYS THE WORLD STILL NEEDS COCOA FARMERS.

>> IF I LEAVE THE COCOA SECTOR AND OTHERS I KNOW ALSO LEAVE, THERE WOULDN'T BE NO COCOA SO HOW ARE THE CONSUMERS GOING TO LIVE WITHOUT COCOA?

>> THAT'S A QUESTION MOST CHOCOLATE CONSUMERS DON'T WANT TO CONTEMPLATE.