PromZ Vak 4 · 2025 · English edition

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Chocolate prices are rising

You hear it everywhere: “chocolate prices are skyrocketing.” Remarkable, because cocoa prices are actually falling at the moment. So what’s going on?

Chocolatiers purchase their raw materials well in advance to avoid shortages when demand rises. The chocolate letters for the upcoming ‘Sinterklaas’ are still being produced u sin g p re v io uslyp urc ha sed – expensive – cocoa. At its peak, the price per ton was $11,000. Now it’s around $8,000 per ton. That higher purchase price is reflected in both retail and B2B channels.

Still, supplier s are responding creatively. Tasty Presenthas introduced a mid -sized luxur y chocolate letter: a stylish version that is lighter than the traditional heavy one. This way, St. Nicholas can still show up in style – at a friendly price.

HelloPrint takes over Allgifts operations

The companies Allgif ts and Cow Company, owned by Lex van den Bosch, were recentl y declared bankrupt. Online print provider HelloPrint is taking over the operations (including most employees) of Allgifts. nl and Allgifts.de. With this move, the Rotterdam-based tech company takes a big step in its ambition to expand from print products into promotional gifts and merchandise. “The acquisition of Allgifts fits with our ambition to build an international platform where companies can handle all their marketing expressions,” says HelloPrint CEO Hans Scheffer. “With our technology, data expertise, and international platform, combined with the Allgifts team's knowledge, we can accelerate our growth in this category.” Lex van den Bosch remains involved in the company's restart, but is no longer a shareholder.

How eerily quiet it was this summer...

Un fo r t una te l y, the Du tc h women ’s national football team didn’t make it past the group stage of the European Championship. A nd to be honest, we in the Netherlands didn’t do much to support them. At least not in terms of promotion. Of course, I haven’t been everywhere, but the only notable campaigns were from Lidl and Jumbo. Are we promotionweary? Or are we, as an industry, just lazy? Did we think that after the jampacked sports summer of 2024, we’d had enough? Despite the poor result, I want to compliment Lidl and Jumbo for attempting to create something better than just lame price promotions. As an industry, we should seize every opportunity to put branded merchandise on the map. Because it's simply the most effective marketing tool we have. Let’s hope I’ll be treated to some eye-catching promotional products and great activations later in the year!