Sinterklaas sweets cost up to 20% more as chocolate prices surge

Sinterklaas can be an expensive celebration this year, as prices for chocolate, sugar, spices, and dairy have risen sharply, driving up the cost of traditional sweets such as chocolate letters and chocolate-coated kruidnoten.

Major producers Bolletje and Verkade told Het Financieele Dagblad that prices for Sinterklaas chocolate products are now between 13 percent and 20 percent higher than last year. The companies said they are facing shrinking sales volumes and profit margins as costs continue to climb.

At supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo, a 250-gram bag of Bolletje’s chocolate kruidnoten now costs 3.39 euros, while a 135-gram Verkade chocolate letter sells for 4.29 euros. Last year, prices for similar products also rose by about 20 percent.

Chocolate has seen the steepest price surge. According to research from Rabobank, global cocoa prices have risen more than 50 percent over the past four years, with most of the increase occurring in the last two years.

Poor harvests in major producing countries such as Ivory Coast and Ghana have reduced the global cocoa supply. Beyond raw materials, labor and packaging costs have also increased, further squeezing confectionery producers.