Sweet Vegan Chocolates

Why Restaurants Are So Expensive Now, According to Chefs and Restaurant Owners | Eater

"The owner says they chose to sell chocolate to 'overtly talk to customers about why it costs more' and to emphasize paying 'not to have child slaves.' The owner reports the price of their chocolate 'will go up 34 percent this fall' and that all of their chocolate is from Peru and Ecuador, which the owner says 'isn’t experiencing the same climate issues as Africa, but the global market is still being affected.' The owner wrote a cookbook for vegan confections that came out in 2019. The owner says there has been a boom in plant-based food and more players in vegan confections, producing cheaper options; they have been contracting to be sustainable within their communities and to pay workers well. The owner says they want a starting wage of $24 an hour and that the cost of living in the Hudson Valley has skyrocketed, noting that when they first opened many employees lived in the village of New Paltz and walked to work but now many cannot afford that. With chocolate price increases, they expect to raise the price of pieces from $3 to $3.25." - Jaya Saxena