Chocolate: Some sweet stats

Canada has a sweet tooth! Canadian households spent an average of $119 on chocolate bars in 2023, according to the Survey of Household Spending. From Halloween trick-or-treat bags to gift boxes during the upcoming holiday season, chocolate is part of everyday life across the country.

Canada’s chocolate-craving imports 

Every cocoa bean used in Canadian chocolate must be imported. From January to August 2025, Canada imported over 110 000 tonnes of cocoa beans, worth nearly $170 million in August alone.

The supply chain runs deeper than beans, with an additional 16.4 million kilograms of cocoa paste and 19.1 million kilograms of cocoa butter entering Canadian ports over the same period.

Sugar from South America

Imports of cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose reached over 195 000 tonnes in August 2025, nearly 150 000 tonnes of which came from Brazil.

Additional shipments arrived from the United States, India and Colombia, while smaller volumes were sourced from France, Costa Rica and the Netherlands.

These flows ensure that the refined sugar behind Canadian favourites—from chocolate to baked goods—continues to keep manufacturers supplied year-round.

Made here, loved everywhere

Factories across Canada manufactured $2.7 billion worth of chocolate and confectionery products in 2023, up from just under $2.1 billion in 2020. Rising revenues have been matched by growing costs for imported ingredients, which reached almost $1.5 billion in 2023.  

Exports told a similarly big story: in 2023, Canada shipped over $2.78 billion worth of chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa—more than 411 million kilograms—abroad. Nearly 97% of these exports went to the United States, with smaller volumes reaching markets such as Kuwait, Peru, and the Philippines.

Finished products on Canadian shelves

In addition to raw materials, Canada imported large amounts of finished chocolate in 2023. Imports of ready-to-eat chocolate products were valued at almost $1.75 billion in the year, representing more than 216 million kilograms. The majority came from the United States and Europe. The imports complement domestic production, meaning the chocolate Canadians eat is a mix of domestic favourites and international brands.

The rising cost of cravings

Prices for confectionery—which includes chocolate bars and gum—have increased in recent years. The Consumer Price Index shows they were 34.6% higher in July 2025 than in July 2020, which means Canadians were paying more than a third more for the same sweet fix.