Dutch chocolate exports spreading

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Dutch exports of domestically produced chocolate and semi-finished products including cocoa butter and cocoa powder reached a total value of 2.8 bn euros last year, an increase of 6 percent relative to 2014 and an all-time record, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports.

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Including re-exported goods, exports reached a total value of 4.5 bn euros. The Netherlands is a global trade hub for cocoa beans and semi-finished products and the world's biggest importer of cocoa beans. After Ivory Coast, the Netherlands is also the largest processor of cocoa beans worldwide.

The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of chocolate after Germany, and he number one exporter of semi-finished chocolate products.

Record cocoa bean imports 

Imports of cocoa beans into the Netherlands reached a record high in 2015. More than 700 million kg of cocoa beans were imported, exceeding the previous record year (2011) by 2 percent. Some 85 percent of cocoa beans are imported from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Nigeria; 1.4 bn euros worth of cocoa beans were imported to be processed into semi-finished and final products.

Most beans imported into the Netherlands are processed into chocolate and semi-manufactured products like cocoa paste, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Many of these products are exported to our neighbouring countries.

Mainly Europe

Last year, 750 million euros worth of chocolate produced in the Netherlands was exported; three-quarters went to European countries. With a share of 19 percent, Asia is another major export destination.

Sources