Chocolate Makers Burned Again as Shortages Hit Cocoa Powder

Chocolate makers were already grappling with record prices for cocoa butter, which provides that melt-in-your-mouth feel. Now they are also paying up for the powder that lends their product its color and taste.

Cocoa powder, used in everything from baking mixes to protein shakes, is now in short supply too. Prices for the key ingredient, produced when cocoa beans are ground, surged about 16% in the US over the past year, and are now trading near a record.