Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. leave (someone) with no choice
    • ex. The heavy rain leaves us with no choice but to stay inside.
  2. volatile
    • ex. The stock market is very volatile right now, so prices are changing a lot.
  3. confectionery
    • ex. Nancy bought some chocolate and candy at the confectionery.
  4. balance out
    • ex. The company's higher sales this month balance out the losses from last month.
  5. a contract
    • ex. She signed a contract to start her new job next month.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

Font size

Chocolate lovers may see higher prices in stores soon. Companies like Hershey and Lindt are raising the cost of their products. Hershey, which makes Reese’s and Whoppers, says some chocolate packages will be smaller, and some will cost more. The company says the high price of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, leaves them with no choice but to raise prices.

Cocoa prices have increased a lot in the last two years. This is because of bad weather and plant diseases in West Africa, where most of the world’s cocoa comes from. Cocoa plant problems in West Africa affect global cocoa prices. As a result, the cocoa market has become volatile.

Swiss chocolatier Lindt and Swedish confectionery company Cloetta have also raised prices. Lindt increased its prices by nearly 16% this year. The company tried to balance out the rising cocoa costs through special contracts, but that was not enough. So, customers still have to pay more. In 2021, a chocolate bar cost about $2.43 (about ¥357). Now, the same bar costs $3.45 (about ¥506). That is a 41% increase.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Chocolates and Chocolate Business

  • Do you like chocolate? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, would it be a good idea to start a chocolate business? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you own a small chocolate business. What would you do to achieve high sales? Discuss.

Volatile Market and Rising Prices

  • What products have you noticed are becoming more expensive in your country? Discuss.
  • Some companies lower the quality or make their products’ sizes smaller to keep the prices the same. What do you think of this business strategy? Discuss.
  • What is a luxury you would stop buying if prices keep going up? Why? Discuss.