Beyond Valentine: Why chocolate is becoming more of a luxury in Indonesia

JAKARTA – In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, chocolate is pure spectacle – rivers flowing, golden tickets glittering. Real life is less theatrical. Behind every glossy box sits a global supply chain, rising cocoa costs and razor-thin margins.

Yet, come Valentine’s Day, chocolate still plays its part: dependable, gift-wrapped and expected.

According to the National Confectioners Association, about 26.3 million kilograms of chocolate were purchased on Valentine’s Day alone in the US in 2025. The National Retail Federation estimates that more than US$20 billion (S$25.2 billion) is spent annually on the occasion.

In Indonesia, the ritual also exists, but it may surprise you to learn that Valentine’s is not the industry’s biggest season.

Beyond Valentine

Valentine’s Day may feel like a frenzy, but for Jakarta’s local chocolatiers, February is just one moment in a much busier calendar.

“Chocolate should be treated like a fashion commodity. It’s like fast fashion,” said Pipiltin Cocoa co-counder Tissa Aunilla.

“Our industry has to keep up with seasonal trends or events so that chocolate products can stay in the zeitgeist.”

Specialising in chocolate made from locally sourced beans, Pipiltin Cocoa typically sees an uptick of around 20 per cent during the Valentine’s window. Larger holidays matter more.

Sales rise closer to 30 per cent to 40 per cent during Christmas and Eid, when gifting stretches beyond romantic partners to families and offices.

SCBD-based Aztec inspired, Kakaw and Panglima Polim’s dark chocolate expert, BetterChocolateThanNever report similar rhythms.

“Honestly, end-of-year celebrations usually give us the biggest spikes,” said Kakaw’s marketing manager Ci Maritzka. “December has a lot of gift-giving – not just personal, but corporate too.”

BetterChocolateThanNever manager Mita said: “On Feb 13 and 14, we could see a fourfold increase in traffic at most. But it’s just those two days. During Eid and Christmas, it’s closer to double for the entire month.”

In other words: Valentine’s delivers a sharp spike, not a sustained lift.

For chocolatiers, the seasonal demand becomes a testing ground – limited flavors, exclusive packaging, short-run products – all designed to make the most of a brief period.

A maturing palate

Beyond the calendar, something else is shifting: taste. Milk chocolate still dominates, but Jakarta’s palate is widening.

“Indonesian customers have calibrated to the more nuanced flavors,” Ms Tissa said. “They understand there’s more than just chocolate bars.”

Over the past decade, demand has diversified.

Chocolatiers now expand into adjacent products – cookies, cracks, dots – rather than relying solely on bars. ​​Flavour collaborations are also becoming more popular with food trends, like matcha and kunafa. And with variety comes discernment.

“You could say that we’ve matured. There’s more awareness now around cocoa percentages and how they change flavors,” Ms Mita added. “There’s also more appreciation for dark chocolate.”

Health considerations play a role.

“Of course dark chocolate isn’t healthy,” Kakaw’s Ci Maritzka laughed. “But it’s healthier because it’s less sweet.”

Consumers are no longer buying chocolate just to satisfy a sweet tooth. Increasingly, they are buying craft, origin and percentage – experiences that justify higher price points in a market under pressure.

Supply strain

That pressure is real. Global cocoa prices surged 136 per cent between July 2022 and February 2024, reaching US$11,530 per tonne, up from an average of US$3,182 the year before.

“For the past three years, we saw an insane hike. Depending on the supplier, prices rose threefold, some even fourfold,” Ms Mita said.

Erratic weather disruptions linked to climate change and swollen shoot disease have hit yields in Ivory Coast and Ghana – the world’s two largest cocoa producers – sending shockwaves through the industry.

“Thankfully, we have a great supplier that helped us plan inventory ahead,” Ms Mita said. “But we still had to gradually increase prices, though not as drastically as the surge.”

To adapt and survive, BetterChocolateThanNever began developing smaller, more accessible formats – bonbons, miniature cakes – without compromising ingredients. The key is to adjust the scale.

“This global shortage affects all Indonesian chocolatiers,” Ms Mita added.

Even locally sourcing brands feel the strain.

“Foreign businesses are now turning to our farmers,” Ms Tissa said. “So prices are still going up regardless.”

Indonesia ranks seventh globally in cocoa production, producing roughly 200,000 tonnes in 2025. But rising external demand has narrowed margins at home.

“We can’t just scale the price of our products with the cost increase. We don’t want to do that either,” Ms Tissa said. “So for now, we just absorb the thinner margins and stay creative.”

Pipiltin Cocoa has expanded into chocolate drink powders and soft-serve ice creams, diversifying to stay afloat amid volatility.

Supply is slowly recovering, but stability is far from guaranteed.

So, when you pick a box of chocolate this Valentine’s week, you are buying more than a safe romantic gesture. You are buying into a global supply chain, thinner margins and an industry adjusting in real time.

The fantasy may be sweet. The business behind it is anything but. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK