This year, perhaps more than ever, kisses may not come cheap.
At least not those made of chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
The price of cocoa, the main ingredient in most chocolate, soared last year, forcing chocolate producers to raise prices and shrink packages.
A growing appetite for chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, which requires more cocoa, in China and other Asian markets is the primary cause, commodity analysts say.
“What’s driving up the price, really, is rising demand for cocoa in Asia, though it also was pretty strong in North America and Europe,” said Edward George, head of soft commodities research at EcoBank.
Another factor is the harmattan, a dry, dusty wind that began sweeping the major cocoa producing countries in West Africa in December, the beginning of the prime cocoa harvesting season. The harmattan has been worse than usual this year.
Cocoa trees also suffered attacks by witches’ broom and frosty pod, fungi that can cause steep losses.
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Under the fair trade agreement Alter Eco has struck with its suppliers, farmers are paid a $200 premium for each ton of beans they sell. Mr. Rollet said the price had increased some, but Alter Eco has not yet raised prices on its chocolate bars and truffles. “If I was a smarter business person, I would raise prices now,” he said.
After negative reports on labor conditions in cocoa production, Mars, Hershey and other large chocolate makers have committed to bring their practices more into line with Alter Eco’s.
Hershey, for instance, said last week that it now obtains about one-third of its cocoa from “certified and sustainable” farms and is working toward buying all its beans from such farms by 2020.
On a call with investment analysts, Bert Alfonso, chief financial officer at Hershey, said the company was increasing prices 5 to 6 percent. He predicted that would reduce sales volumes 2 percent.
“While we’ve seen some improvement recently and that’s good, we still have cocoa that’s higher than the 2014 level,” Mr. Alfonso said.
A version of this article appears in print on February 12, 2015, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: That Heart-Shaped Box Will Cost More This Year, as Cocoa Prices Rise. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
