Rising costs push Japan stores to cacao alternatives before Valentine's Day

TOKYO – 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 department store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, for instance, has begun selling a new line-up of 10 chocolates through its online store that feature 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 Feb 4 to sell products made with Shinshu buckwheat kernels and Shine Muscat grapes for 3,981 yen (S$32.67) per box of eight.

“We used off-grade fruit and changed our packaging materials to keep costs down,” said the shop’s representative Takuya Sasaki, 35.

Stores under Takashimaya 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. The average price of items handled at its stores has risen by about 10 per cent compared with 2025.

Sogo & Seibu 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 or 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. KYODO NEWS