MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. The demand for hot chocolate is noted to be high in Russia and its consumption may grow by 10-15% in 2025, expert of the Center of Industry Expertise of the Russian Agricultural Bank Ekaterina Vinokurova told TASS.

"We see the high demand for hot chocolate in Russia, Market studies reveal that consumption of this beverage can grow by 10-15% more. Drivers can be new products based on cocoa-beans of organic and special cultivars that will attract the attention of buyers. Russia expanded in this regard the list of the countries supplying cocoa beans. This indicator increased to 28 countries," Vinokurova said.

Ivory Coast ranks first by cocoa-beans deliveries to Russia in 2024 with the share of about 60%, down 26 percentage points from the last year, the expert said. "This is explained by the expansion of the list of importers and refocusing of deliveries," she noted. Ecuador ranks second with 13.7% and Guinea is third with 7.8%.

"The taste of cocoa beans directly depends on the soil where they grew. In particular, Ecuadorian cocoa beans are characterized by sweetness with distinguishable fruit notes," the expert added.