@Jim D. Where did you buy the Opalys? My main supplier has pretty good prices but not always the best dates I want to look around some more before I stock up. I've emailed my Valrhona rep so will update with more info when he replies.
The response was not positive. A summary:
- price increases happening for all products at Valrhona and competitors
- narrowest increases for grand cru line
- cost of raw cacao at 40yr high "where it stops nobody knows" (47 years)
- has heard layoffs for some companies with large US presence
- they claim it is because of inflation
Another note - I've heard from someone in the agriculture non-profit sphere that frosty pod rot is increasingly worse and has reached the Caribbean and is a big threat to DR cacao production. Unpredictable supply from South/Central America and Caribbean plus wetter than normal weather in West Africa is fueling much of this. 11% reduced yield for 2023 vs 2022. And of course - the futures market is running wild.
