Navigating Rising Cocoa Costs: 3 tips for Craft Chocolate Makers to reduce costs

In recent months, the chocolate industry has experienced a rise in cocoa costs as never faced before, which has led to mixed reactions from Lareka's customers. While some have opted to halt projects and investments, others are forging ahead, using Lareka's technology to reduce costs and safeguard their businesses.

At the center of Lareka's offering stands the BTB25 packaging machine, a versatile solution designed to efficiently package chocolate bars of all sizes. The BTB25 not only streamlines production processes but also provides a gateway to significant cost savings.

For chocolate manufacturers struggling with labor costs of hand wrapping, the BTB25 is a beacon of efficiency, offering potential savings of up to 50 euro cents per bar. By automating the packaging process, artisans can reallocate resources to areas of greater need, ensuring operational sustainability in the face of economic uncertainty.

In addition, Lareka's machines can facilitate a shift in packaging materials, resulting in a significant reduction in packaging material costs. Traditionally, hand wrapping often requires the use of costly prefabricated packaging. They are easy to hand-wrap but very expensive. However, by switching to the BTB25's use of an inner layer from roll, and a paper label from stack, chocolate manufacturers can reduce the cost of packaging material by 10 to in some more extreme cases 60 euro cents per bar!

Recognizing the need to adapt to market dynamics, we have also responded to the demand for versatility in Lareka machines. Chocolate makers looking to diversify their product range and adjust product weights in response to cost pressures can now opt for modifications that enable the BTB25 to wrap bars of different weights. For example, we have now built a BTB25 that can wrap bars in a range from 100 to 60 grams. All are produced in the same mold, and wrapped without any changes on the BTB25. This flexibility allows artisans to optimize their product portfolios while maintaining competitive price points.

We  continue to support craft chocolate makers, offering solutions to confront the challenges posed by rising cocoa prices. From efficient packaging machinery to customizable modifications, Lareka empowers artisans to maintain quality, affordability, and resilience in the face of economic uncertainty.

Summarized our three tips to compensate for the increasing price of cacao:

1. Reduce labour cost
2. Reduce material cost
3. Reduce product weight without additional investment in moulds and size sets.

Would you like to explore how a chocolate wrapping machine can reduce your costs, or do you already have a Lareka packaging machine and want to modify it so it can wrap different weights? Then don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our team is ready to help!