Japan stores turn to cacao alternatives as costs rise
With Valentine’s Day approaching, Japan’s major department stores are turning to alternative methods and ingredients to curb the prices of chocolates, the country’s most popular gift of the season, as cacao and logistics costs continue to climb.
Matsuya Co.’s department store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district has begun selling a new lineup of 10 chocolates through its online store that features domestically produced fruit and ingredients, responding to rising prices by reducing the amount of cacao used per piece while highlighting the appeal of those foods.
In addition, Patisserie Couleur, a pastry shop from Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, will set up a booth at a special venue in Matsuya Ginza from Wednesday to sell products made with Shinshu buckwheat kernels and Shine Muscat grapes for 3,981 yen ($25.7) per box of eight.
“We used off-grade fruit and changed our packaging materials to keep costs down,” said Takuya Sasaki, 35, the shop’s representative.
Non-chocolate items
Stores under Takashimaya Co. have prepared sweets made with cacao-free chocolate substitutes, including items created by famous chefs, that can be bought for about 650 yen less than regular products, as the average price of items handled at its stores has risen by about 10 percent compared with last year.
Sogo & Seibu Co. has also doubled its selection of non-chocolate items, such as baked goods and gummies, which are less affected by rising raw-material costs.
In Japan, many women give chocolates to the men in their lives, including husbands, boyfriends and fathers, around the time of Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. The sweets also serve as seasonal gifts to friends, coworkers and business partners.
However, a Matsuya survey released in January showed a trend of people planning to spend more on chocolates for themselves, with the average budget for personal treats exceeding 10,000 yen for the first time.
Matsuya is offering reservation-only courses where pastry chefs prepare desserts in front of guests for as much as 18,700 yen, while Takashimaya will host its annual Amour du Chocolat! Valentine’s chocolate event, featuring a lineup of limited-edition chocolates.
