Poland: Chocolate production powerhouse
The annual export of this type of product already exceeds PLN 12 billion, and Poland is the third largest producer of chocolate sweets in Europe. In five years, exports have increased by over 50 percent.
Although there is no full data for 2024 yet, those covering the period up to November show that chocolate exports have already reached PLN 12 billion and were over 5 percent higher than in the whole of 2023 - according to data from the Central Statistical Office and analysis by Akcenta. And December is a period of increased purchases of sweets due to the holidays, so the final result will be even higher.
Polish chocolate in the world
According to the analysis by Akcenta, Poland is a real powerhouse in chocolate production: it is its third largest exporter in the world. This is already over EUR 2.5 billion per year, and the demand for Polish chocolates is growing. Since 2019, foreign sales of these products have increased by 52 percent. – The export of Polish chocolate is growing year by year and fits perfectly into the global trend of growing demand for chocolate products. According to Euromonitor's forecasts, in the next five years, by 2029, the value of the chocolate sweets market is to exceed USD 189 billion, which means even greater opportunities for Polish producers – says Radosław Jarema, director of the Polish branch of Akcenta.
The value of global export of chocolate and other products containing cocoa amounted to EUR 35 billion in 2023 and, according to data from the International Trade Center, Poland had a 7% share in this. The largest recipient of Polish chocolate products is Germany and other EU countries. However, the United States is also in the lead, and markets such as Canada and Australia are gaining.
Chocolate is getting more expensive
A challenge for the entire market is the strong increase in cocoa prices, which translates into the cost of the final product. The prices of milk chocolate have recently increased noticeably, and a small bar of chocolate can cost as much as PLN 8. Compared to January last year, prices have increased by almost 42 percent on average.
Akcenta notes that key recipients of chocolate from Poland are increasing sales. - Rising prices of raw materials, such as cocoa, milk and sugar, as well as EU environmental regulations and logistical challenges are the main difficulties faced by the chocolate industry. Despite this, the Polish chocolate market maintains dynamic growth. Export plays a key role in the success of the industry, and the weak złoty additionally increases the competitiveness of Polish products abroad - comments Radosław Jarema.
- Weather conditions in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the two largest cocoa producers in the world, were exceptionally unfavourable, which limited supply and thus drove up prices on international markets. This immediately translated into higher production costs of chocolate and other products containing cocoa.
In addition, the increase in sugar prices, which have also been subject to significant price fluctuations in recent months, is not without significance. The increase in the prices of sweets is also influenced by rising energy and transport costs, which particularly strongly affect the food processing industry. The production of sweets requires both large amounts of energy and a complicated logistics chain, in which high fuel and packaging prices additionally increase the final costs.
Giants and domestic brands
The Polish chocolate market includes both international giants such as Lotte Wedel, Ferrero or Mondelez, to strong domestic brands such as Goplana, Wawel, Mieszko or Terravita, as well as smaller companies specializing in vegan chocolate, for example.
The factory in Kargowa is the main producer of Lion bars for Nestlé in Europe and wafers under local brands. Most of the products are exported, the main markets are Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic - around 75 percent of the production volume is sent to them.
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Valentine's Day is one of the key periods of increased demand for chocolate products. Other important times of the year for producers are Christmas and Easter.
Source: Rzeczpospolita