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Euronews
14-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Valentine's Day in Europe: From cheese hearts to lion love stories
Much of Europe is celebrating love this Valentine's Day with a variety of lively and diverse traditions. In the Italian city of Naples, the romantic at heart prefers to send their loved ones red horns instead of the more predictable flowers and chocolates. These vibrant pendants, known as "cornicelli," are deeply rooted in local culture and are believed to bring prosperity, love, and good fortune to the receiver. The origins of the cornicello trace back to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Its shape and vibrant colour symbolise fertility and protection, referencing Priapus, the god of male fertility. Chocolate and cheese For some, romance may seem cheesy, especially in northern France, where a heart-shaped fromage is the perfect way to say "Je t'aime." The town of Neufchâtel-en-Bray in Normandy is famous for one particularly special delicacy — a soft cheese shaped like a heart. Dating back over a thousand years, the Neufchâtel heart-shaped cheese has become a world-famous symbol of love and craftsmanship. 'Legend has it that, on the Feast of St Valentine, the young dairy maidens of the Pays de Bray would offer these heart-shaped cheeses on Valentine's Day to those who had stolen their hearts,' explains François Olivier, a local cheesemonger in Rouen. The Belgians, on the other hand, prefer to stick to the more traditional gift of chocolate, a sweet treat for which they are world-renowned. However, with cocoa bean prices hitting record highs on the commodities market, the beloved gift of chocolate has become a more costly gesture than ever before. What was once a sweet, affordable token of affection is now a more significant financial commitment, reflecting the rising costs of this indulgent treat. "Harvests have been less good than usual. The second is that some of the fields processed in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana are a little older and therefore produce less than usual. Thirdly, there is a lot of speculation. The result is extremely high cocoa prices," Philippe de Selliers, Leonidas CEO and President of Choprabisco, said. But many chocolatiers believe the sugary treat is sacred to Belgians willing to pay any price for it. "For me, chocolate remains a pleasure for Belgian consumers, because it's part of their culture, part of what they like. When things are going bad, we say to ourselves 'I'm going to get myself a bar of chocolate, a little box of chocolate," said Christophe Museur, the head of chocolate production and creations at Wittamer in Brussels. It's "Va-lion-tines" Day in The Netherlands In the Netherlands, even the animals are celebrating. FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Nijeberkoop is celebrating Valentine's Day with a heart-warming twist, introducing two lions under their care, Manuschka and Diego, as a new couple. For this special "va-lion-tines" event, the sanctuary's team decorated their enclosures with heart-shaped cardboard ornaments, adding a playful touch. "It's a lovely story that we can celebrate as a team on Valentine's Day, but there's a bigger purpose," explained Juno van Zon, Head of Animal and Facility Management at the sanctuary. "We aim to socialise them, with hopes for future integration." Rome worships Venus, the goddess of love Meanwhile, Rome's renowned Galleria Borghese is offering a unique experience that takes visitors on a captivating exploration of love in its many forms, all through the lens of the goddess Venus. The special event, 'The Goddess of Love: A Thousand Faces of Venus,' invites art enthusiasts to delve into the evolution of Venus, the goddess of beauty, sensuality, and desire, as portrayed throughout history. The exhibition showcases iconic works, including Antonio Canova's celebrated statue of Pauline Borghese, which depicts Napoleon Bonaparte's sister as a triumphant Venus, as well as the "Cabinet of Venuses" — a room filled with artworks that centre around the goddess and tales from her myth. 'On the occasion of the days dedicated to the feast of Saint Valentine's Day, the Galleria (Borghese) has organised these insights on Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, starting from the two rooms where she is the protagonist," explained Emanuela Mangia, a tour guide at the gallery. "There is the room dedicated to Venus Victrix (Latin for 'Venus victorious') where we see Antonio Canova's sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte Borghese in the guise of not just any other Venus but of a victorious Venus.'
Euronews
14-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Soaring cocoa prices prove a costly treat for Valentine's Day lovers
With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, this year means it is certainly turning the gift of love into a bigger financial commitment than it once was. Turns out that, if love is reputed to be eternal, a low price for cocoa, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is not. No beans, no Valentine's chocolate "The price increase of cocoa is absolutely spectacular, now for 2, 2½ years," said Philippe de Sellier, the head of both Leonidas and Belgian chocolate federation Choprabisco. When it stood at less than $2,000 (€1909) a ton in the summer of 2022, it really took over early last year and peaked at well over $12,000 (€11454) during the Christmas season and has been hovering around the $10,000 (€9546) mark since. "We are seeing unprecedented prices. They haven't been this high for the last 50 years," said Bart Van Besien, policy adviser of the Oxfam fair trade group. And the impact can be felt deep in chocolate gourmet country Belgium, where some of its 280 chocolate companies are left with a bleeding heart during Valentine's week. Dominque Persoone, owner of the famed Chocolate Line brand, still has plenty of beans to grind in his workshop in Bruges, but considers himself lucky, partly because he also has his own cocoa plantation in Mexico. "I have a lot of colleagues who are really in trouble, because the price is too high," he said. "If you don't have good contacts, they just don't deliver anymore." Some just close for Valentine, he said, turning one of the few financial bonanzas of the year into a forced vacation, hoping that Easter, with its eggs and bunnies, will bring better tidings. Many chocolatiers can't go for the usual profit margins and turn all the extra costs of the cocoa prices over to their customers. Persoone said that his chocolates increased in price by 20% over the past year alone while de Selliers said that it depended very much on producer to producer. The perfect chocolate storm The shock of cocoa prices pretty much is a metaphorical perfect storm, mixing climate, disease, commodity speculation, the plight of farmers and social ascendency around the world into one heady mix. "The drop that has happened now in production was directly linked to climate change," said Van Besien, blaming changes in annual rain and drought patterns in West Africa that weakened the sensitive trees in key production areas. Persoone also said that the temperature differences between night and day increased in the small strip of land around the equator where the trees can thrive. Compounded by disease, it led to too many harvests failing. At the same time across the world, populations lifted themselves out of poverty, middle classes expanded in places like China and the craving for the delicacy increased. And, making matters worse, the years of slumping prices for the beans simply drove farmers off the land to look for a better future in the cities and pushed production further down. De Selliers said that "60 % of cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and Ghana and these farmers have to make a better living. It is extremely important." Persoone concurred: "We didn't pay enough to have an honest price for the farmers." So, strangely enough, low prices then, help cause high prices now. "The big irony in the cocoa industry is that farmers are now getting a fair price at the moment they are abandoning cocoa farming," Van Besien said. "With the price they are getting right now, they could have invested in sustainable practices. They could have sent their children to school." Chocolate love within reach Does it mean a premier box of chocolates is a guilty pleasure on Valentine's Day? "Yeah, the guilt question .... It's one that always works," said Van Besien, the fair trade expert. "We could not survive if we would be thinking about these things all the time," arguing that legislation should trump consumer emotions. "We should have laws that make buying cocoa below the cost of the production something illegal. And it should not be up to the consumer to make this decision," he said. "I really, really hope the money goes to the farmers," Persoone said. So, in the meantime and despite the price hikes, the chocolate shouldn't leave too bitter a taste.
The Hill
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Chocolate love has its price on Valentine's Day as cocoa costs make hearts shudder, not flutter
BRUGES, Belgium (AP) — St. Valentine chocolates always seek to show how deep your love is. This year, it might just also show how deep your pockets are. With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, it will certainly turn the gift of love into a bigger financial commitment than it once was. Turns out that if love is reputed to be eternal, a low price for cocoa, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is not. No beans, no Valentine's chocolate 'The price increase of cocoa is absolutely spectacular, now for 2, 2½ years,' said Philippe de Sellier, the head of both Leonidas and Belgian chocolate federation Choprabisco. When it stood at less than $2,000 a ton in the summer of 2022, it really took over early last year and peaked at well over $12,000 during the Christmas season and has been hovering around the $10,000 mark since. 'We are seeing unprecedented prices. They haven't been this high for the last 50 years,' said Bart Van Besien, policy adviser of the Oxfam fair trade group. And the impact can be felt deep in chocolate gourmet country Belgium, where some of its 280 chocolate companies are left with a bleeding heart during Valentine's week. Dominque Persoone, owner of the famed Chocolate Line brand, still has plenty of beans to grind in his workshop in Bruges, but considers himself lucky, partly because he also has his own cocoa plantation in Mexico. 'I have a lot of colleagues who are really in trouble, because the price is too high,' he said. 'If you don't have good contacts, they just don't deliver anymore.' Some just close for Valentine, he said, turning one of the few financial bonanzas of the year into a forced vacation, hoping that Easter, with its eggs and bunnies, will bring better tidings. Many chocolatiers can't go for the usual profit margins and turn all the extra costs of the cocoa prices over to their customers. Persoone said that his chocolates increased in price by 20% over the last year alone while de Selliers said that it depends very much from producer to producer. The perfect chocolate storm The shock of cocoa prices pretty much is a metaphorical perfect storm, mixing climate, disease, commodity speculation, the plight of farmers and social ascendency around the world into one heady mix. 'The drop that has happened now in production was directly linked to climate change,' said Van Besien, blaming changes in annual rain and drought patterns in western Africa that weakened the sensitive trees in key production areas. Persoone also said that the temperature differences between night and day increased in the small strip of land around the equator where the trees can thrive. Compounded by disease, it made sure too many harvests failed. At the same time across the world, populations lifted themselves out of poverty, middle classes expanded in places like China and the craving for the delicacy increased. And making matters worse, the years of slumping prices for the beans simply drove farmers off the land to look for a better future in the cities and pushed production further down. De Selliers said that '60 % of cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and Ghana and these farmers have to make a better living. It is extremely important.' Persoone concurred: 'We didn't pay enough to have an honest price for the farmers.' So, strangely enough, low prices then, help cause high prices now. 'The big irony in the cocoa industry is that farmers are now getting a fair price at the moment they are abandoning cocoa farming,' Van Besien said. 'With the price they are getting right now, they could have invested in sustainable practices. They could have sent their children to school.' Chocolate love within reach Does it mean a premier box of chocolates is a guilty pleasure on Valentine's Day? 'Yeah, the guilt question …. It's one that always works,' said Van Besien, the fair trade expert. 'We could not survive if we would be thinking about these things all the time,' arguing that legislation should trump consumer emotions. 'We should have laws that make buying cocoa below the cost of the production something illegal. And it should not be up to the consumer to make this decision,' he said. Both de Selliers and Persoone hope that if the prices drop down again, they stay around the $5,000 or $6,000 mark. 'I really, really hope the money goes to the farmers,' Persoone said. So in the meantime, despite the price hikes, the chocolate shouldn't leave too bitter a taste. 'It's a small luxury that most people still can afford,' Persoone said. 'I hope it stays like this.'
Associated Press
13-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Chocolate love has its price on Valentine's Day as cocoa costs make hearts shudder, not flutter
BRUGES, Belgium (AP) — St. Valentine chocolates always seek to show how deep your love is. This year, it might just also show how deep your pockets are. With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, it will certainly turn the gift of love into a bigger financial commitment than it once was. Turns out that if love is reputed to be eternal, a low price for cocoa, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is not. No beans, no Valentine's chocolate 'The price increase of cocoa is absolutely spectacular, now for 2, 2½ years,' said Philippe de Sellier, the head of both Leonidas and Belgian chocolate federation Choprabisco. When it stood at less than $2,000 a ton in the summer of 2022, it really took over early last year and peaked at well over $12,000 during the Christmas season and has been hovering around the $10,000 mark since. 'We are seeing unprecedented prices. They haven't been this high for the last 50 years,' said Bart Van Besien, policy adviser of the Oxfam fair trade group. And the impact can be felt deep in chocolate gourmet country Belgium, where some of its 280 chocolate companies are left with a bleeding heart during Valentine's week. Dominque Persoone, owner of the famed Chocolate Line brand, still has plenty of beans to grind in his workshop in Bruges, but considers himself lucky, partly because he also has his own cocoa plantation in Mexico. 'I have a lot of colleagues who are really in trouble, because the price is too high,' he said. 'If you don't have good contacts, they just don't deliver anymore.' Some just close for Valentine, he said, turning one of the few financial bonanzas of the year into a forced vacation, hoping that Easter, with its eggs and bunnies, will bring better tidings. Many chocolatiers can't go for the usual profit margins and turn all the extra costs of the cocoa prices over to their customers. Persoone said that his chocolates increased in price by 20% over the last year alone while de Selliers said that it depends very much from producer to producer. The perfect chocolate storm The shock of cocoa prices pretty much is a metaphorical perfect storm, mixing climate, disease, commodity speculation, the plight of farmers and social ascendency around the world into one heady mix. 'The drop that has happened now in production was directly linked to climate change,' said Van Besien, blaming changes in annual rain and drought patterns in western Africa that weakened the sensitive trees in key production areas. Persoone also said that the temperature differences between night and day increased in the small strip of land around the equator where the trees can thrive. Compounded by disease, it made sure too many harvests failed. At the same time across the world, populations lifted themselves out of poverty, middle classes expanded in places like China and the craving for the delicacy increased. And making matters worse, the years of slumping prices for the beans simply drove farmers off the land to look for a better future in the cities and pushed production further down. De Selliers said that '60 % of cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and Ghana and these farmers have to make a better living. It is extremely important.' Persoone concurred: 'We didn't pay enough to have an honest price for the farmers.' So, strangely enough, low prices then, help cause high prices now. 'The big irony in the cocoa industry is that farmers are now getting a fair price at the moment they are abandoning cocoa farming,' Van Besien said. 'With the price they are getting right now, they could have invested in sustainable practices. They could have sent their children to school.' Chocolate love within reach Does it mean a premier box of chocolates is a guilty pleasure on Valentine's Day? 'Yeah, the guilt question .... It's one that always works,' said Van Besien, the fair trade expert. 'We could not survive if we would be thinking about these things all the time,' arguing that legislation should trump consumer emotions. 'We should have laws that make buying cocoa below the cost of the production something illegal. And it should not be up to the consumer to make this decision,' he said. Both de Selliers and Persoone hope that if the prices drop down again, they stay around the $5,000 or $6,000 mark. 'I really, really hope the money goes to the farmers,' Persoone said. So in the meantime, despite the price hikes, the chocolate shouldn't leave too bitter a taste. 'It's a small luxury that most people still can afford,' Persoone said. 'I hope it stays like this.'
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Chocolate love has its price on Valentine's Day as cocoa costs make hearts shudder, not flutter
St. Valentine chocolates always seek to show how deep your love is. This year, it might just also show how deep your pockets are. With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, it will certainly turn the gift of love into a bigger financial commitment than it once was. Turns out that if love is reputed to be eternal, a low price for cocoa, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is not. No beans, no Valentine's chocolate 'The price increase of cocoa is absolutely spectacular, now for 2, 2½ years,' said Philippe de Sellier, the head of both Leonidas and Belgian chocolate federation Choprabisco. When it stood at less than $2,000 a ton in the summer of 2022, it really took over early last year and peaked at well over $12,000 during the Christmas season and has been hovering around the $10,000 mark since. 'We are seeing unprecedented prices. They haven't been this high for the last 50 years,' said Bart Van Besien, policy adviser of the Oxfam fair trade group. And the impact can be felt deep in chocolate gourmet country Belgium, where some of its 280 chocolate companies are left with a bleeding heart during Valentine's week. Dominque Persoone, owner of the famed Chocolate Line brand, still has plenty of beans to grind in his workshop in Bruges, but considers himself lucky, partly because he also has his own cocoa plantation in Mexico. 'I have a lot of colleagues who are really in trouble, because the price is too high," he said. 'If you don't have good contacts, they just don't deliver anymore.' Some just close for Valentine, he said, turning one of the few financial bonanzas of the year into a forced vacation, hoping that Easter, with its eggs and bunnies, will bring better tidings. Many chocolatiers can't go for the usual profit margins and turn all the extra costs of the cocoa prices over to their customers. Persoone said that his chocolates increased in price by 20% over the last year alone while de Selliers said that it depends very much from producer to producer. The perfect chocolate storm The shock of cocoa prices pretty much is a metaphorical perfect storm, mixing climate, disease, commodity speculation, the plight of farmers and social ascendency around the world into one heady mix. 'The drop that has happened now in production was directly linked to climate change,' said Van Besien, blaming changes in annual rain and drought patterns in western Africa that weakened the sensitive trees in key production areas. Persoone also said that the temperature differences between night and day increased in the small strip of land around the equator where the trees can thrive. Compounded by disease, it made sure too many harvests failed. At the same time across the world, populations lifted themselves out of poverty, middle classes expanded in places like China and the craving for the delicacy increased. And making matters worse, the years of slumping prices for the beans simply drove farmers off the land to look for a better future in the cities and pushed production further down. De Selliers said that '60 % of cocoa comes from Ivory Coast and Ghana and these farmers have to make a better living. It is extremely important.' Persoone concurred: 'We didn't pay enough to have an honest price for the farmers.' So, strangely enough, low prices then, help cause high prices now. 'The big irony in the cocoa industry is that farmers are now getting a fair price at the moment they are abandoning cocoa farming,' Van Besien said. 'With the price they are getting right now, they could have invested in sustainable practices. They could have sent their children to school.' Chocolate love within reach Does it mean a premier box of chocolates is a guilty pleasure on Valentine's Day? 'Yeah, the guilt question .... It's one that always works,' said Van Besien, the fair trade expert. 'We could not survive if we would be thinking about these things all the time,' arguing that legislation should trump consumer emotions. 'We should have laws that make buying cocoa below the cost of the production something illegal. And it should not be up to the consumer to make this decision,' he said. Both de Selliers and Persoone hope that if the prices drop down again, they stay around the $5,000 or $6,000 mark. 'I really, really hope the money goes to the farmers,' Persoone said. So in the meantime, despite the price hikes, the chocolate shouldn't leave too bitter a taste. 'It's a small luxury that most people still can afford,' Persoone said. "I hope it stays like this.'
