La surprise of Easter eggs this year is that of price, skyrocketing on all the most famous brands sold in large-scale retail chains. But the prices are no joke either doves, in this case burdened by the exceptional increase in the price of butter and (hen's) eggs.
The high cost of cocoa weighs on eggs, but above all marketing
The increase in the price of the main raw material for eggs, cocoa, he had already made himself heard for some time due to a decrease in upstream production. The cocoa prices reached a record high of $12 per ton at the end of 2024, and is currently trading around $8.000, compared to $2.900 in March 2023, an increase of over 175% and direct impacts on retail prices of all cocoa products.
Thus, whether milk or dark chocolate, the price increases for Easter eggs for the most well-known brands, net of supermarket offers or promotions, stand at +30% compared to last year, but can reach over +40% in the case of eggs medium-high range, the price of which for a single pack can exceed 22 euros (over 70 euros per kg), says a survey by Codacons. Chocolate eggs intended for children were also affected to the little ones, with increases starting from +8,3% and reaching +33%. Altroconsumo reports increases of 5,4%, while the Training and Research Centre on Consumption (Crc) records peaks of +20% and a price per kilo that for some brands has reached 80 euros.
But it's not all the fault of the upstream price of cocoa: there are also more commercial and marketing reasons, says Altroconsumo. What has the greatest impact on the price is the surprise what's inside and the costs that confectionery companies incur to pay for the licenses of characters and gadgets super-popular or logos related to children's tastes (sports clubs, cartoons, dolls, TV series, etc.), capable of attracting children. The Association gives some examples: the price of the egg trunks milk is 52,6 euros per kilo, while the Bauli Masha and the Bear egg goes up to 73 euros per kilo. Child has kept the prices of 220 and 320 gram eggs unchanged, while the 150 gram ones have increased by 8%, going from 11,99 to 12,99, the association says. And even discount stores are not exempt from this rush: the Favorina egg, sold by Lidl, has increased by 37,6% and the Eurospin one by 20%.
Dove prices also soar up to +36%
It is not a good strategy to divert to the doves: whether traditional or stuffed, the traditional Easter sweet has seen significant price increases: the Codacons survey reveals that for the most marketed brands in Italy the price increases are in the order of 21% compared to last year, but with some distinctions. If the price of the classic dove rises, depending on the brand and the point of sale, between 6% and 9% compared to last year, those chocolate filled (with chocolate chips, icing or cocoa creams, etc.), show heavier increases, between the 18% and the 36%. the price increase has exceeded all expectations: at the end of March Consumers Association had estimated “only” an average +6%. But from the analysis of shelf prices, Altroconsumo also detected a +20%, with a price per kilo of two euros more: from 9,98 euros in 2024 to almost 12 today.
even the butter, the basic raw material of the colomba, has recorded astronomical increases, equal to +83% on an annual basis according to the latest data from the European Commission, with prices that have exceeded 8.300 dollars per ton. At the bottom of the supply chain, butter, reports the Crc, has seen a rise of +19,7% and eggs (this time chicken eggs) of +4,4%
- entrepreneurs of the confectionery industry are dealing with price increases skyrocketing production costs.. “Compared to last year, we are dealing with a further increase in the cost of cocoa, to which is added a rise of around 50% for butter and 10% for eggs”, explains Marco Brandani, CEO of Maina which however confirms a production trend in "line with last year". According to Guido Gobino Furthermore, the price increases do not spare the hazelnuts of Piedmont which "have doubled in price compared to 2024". Easter products instead seem excluded, for the time being, from the impact of the US duties, first introduced and then suspended for 90 days (so until July) by American President Donald Trump
