U.S. 2013 cocoa grind highest on record

North American cocoa bean grindings rose by 4.4% in the fourth quarter and processing for the full year grew at its fastest pace in three years, data showed on Thursday, reinforcing confidence about chocolate demand in 2014. The rising amount of cocoa processing was driven by increased interest in butter, a byproduct of grinding beans that gives chocolate its melt-in-the-mouth texture, while powder sales lagged, dealers said.

The grind data, a traditional gauge of demand for chocolate’s key ingredient, climbed to 125,332 tonnes, up 4.37% from the fourth quarter of 2012, National Confectioners Association (NCA) data showed. For the full-year North American grindings rose 7.5% to 509,237 tonnes from 2012, the fastest pace of growth in three years.

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