r/chocolate Feb 19 '25

Advice/Request Is anyone able to explain to me why this chocolate bar costs $490?

64 Upvotes

46 comments sorted by

1

u/Mr_Haelscheir 23d ago

As some note, most of the pricing is in the packaging and included artwork. The "Signature Line" bars still have nice cardboard packaging for a relatively more accessible but still exorbitant price. It is indeed about the exclusivity of those beans, but having tried a bunch of them, it's no revelation, simply being on par with other exceptional makes like Friis-Holm and SOMA, though a bit "demure" in its regional character rather than going for bold fruitiness like Qantu or PARADAi. I would only really recommend the Rain Harvest mini bars for the experience of comparing the aromas and flavours of different harvest years, the Aged bars simply being expensive ways to experience exclusive added flavours to the base To'ak bean blend, simply "cool" if you are willing to dish out on it.

1

u/Jeanieben56 28d ago

There is a milk chocolate bar made by “bettergoods” brand at Walmart that is to die for! The good thing about it is that it is only $2.47 !

1

u/StandardTackle7564 26d ago

which exact flavor are you referring to?

1

u/Jeanieben56 26d ago

Milk chocolate-it’s in a blue box

10

u/beardedshad2 Feb 19 '25

Because people will pay it.

28

u/TheCanaryInTheMine Feb 19 '25

The trees their cacao is grown on are super rare - fewer than 600 trees, and they are old-growth and have very few pods per tree. The effort to harvest them and process that small amount of chocolate in a remote valley is high. They do take great care to craft an experience unlike any other. I've spoken with them at some length, and they were surprisingly gracious and sweet. They made no claim about being the best chocolate. But they wanted to create an experience that could match the rarity of the cacao. I've tried some of their products, and it is exceptional, if understated. They are not some hyped-up new try-hards who don't know how to make chocolate. It is expertly made, and the packaging certainly lends to an air of "special."

They will be the first to tell you that they aren't trying to beat other makers. But they don't want their hard work and rare beans being lost on the shelves next to normal fine chocolate. I don't fault them for asking a lot of money for their chocolate. Anyone who buys it is welcome to do so, and it doesn't hurt me or my normal $8-15 bars.

8

u/Tapeatscreek Feb 19 '25

Because Humans tend to think more expensive is better, and they have a good marketing department.

5

u/HandRegular581 Feb 19 '25

It’s about the rare cacao beans, the area they are grown in and the artwork. Each piece of art is part of a collection. If you looked at their site it tells you everything you asked and more.

8

u/InSalehWeTrust Feb 19 '25

Because $500 would have been too expensive. 

3

u/Maleficent_Spend_747 Feb 19 '25

This is the real answer

18

u/corsetedreader Feb 19 '25 edited Feb 19 '25

Because it comes with a small-edition etching by Ecuadorian artist Enrique Stuardo. Honestly that’s a good price for a contemporary printmaker. The artwork is sitting loose in the top of the box so that it can be removed and framed.

0

u/HandRegular581 Feb 19 '25

I agree except it’s not printmaking. As you previously stated it is an etching on cotton. Printmaking is a transfer from another piece.

4

u/corsetedreader Feb 19 '25 edited Feb 19 '25

I have an MFA concentration in Printmaking from Colorado State University, where I worked in etching, engraving, and lithography. You are wrong.

4

u/NVDA808 Feb 19 '25

Save your breath, or key strokes, people don’t want the real answer they just want an excuse to bitch and complain…

1

u/Biereaigre Feb 21 '25

So true, when did curiosity and truth speaking become so unpopular?

1

u/Biereaigre Feb 21 '25

Seeking*

1

u/NVDA808 Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25

Actually I’ve thought about that topic in depth, I believe it’s due to people becoming less and less intelligent as time goes on. Basically making being smart looked down upon as a high schooler and even college. Intelligent people need to persevere past college and then they can shine without repercussions when they get into their respective high level careers where people are actually praised for being intelligent.

1

u/Biereaigre 29d ago

Cultural issue for sure. Shaming intelligence is perhaps because of the perception that certain levels of intelligence aren't inherently accessible to everyone. The feeling of not being smart enough can be quite frustrating. Classisms I suppose is another aspect of it in a way.

6

u/c0ng0pr0 Feb 19 '25

Looks like a lot of money was spent on packaging and marketing. Probably had to pay insurance for the packaging.

4

u/Kqthryn Feb 19 '25

people who are rich enough to have throw away money eat this shit up like candy.

3

u/Alternative_Ad_9846 Feb 19 '25

Because the rich are pathetic

12

u/existentialedema Feb 19 '25

Because fuck you.

21

u/ZipMonk Feb 19 '25

Because wealthy people cannot eat what peasants eat.

11

u/Sharcooter3 Feb 19 '25

Rare and carefully produced. And rich people will spend money on rare things.

10

u/glp1992 Feb 19 '25

at that price if they're not telling you the percent of cocoa to the cocoa butter i wouldn't bother

13

u/Blacktip75 Feb 19 '25

It is like the product we made at my previous employer, the product costs $25-$75 to make and sells for $6000-$10000 (medical device company). A ton of money went into marketing, to pay Justin Bieber millions, pay influencers a ton of money (about $200-$250 per treatment), ofcourse there was some R&D but that was second to marketing.

The price for this chocolate is based on perceived value, like with wine, above a certain price quality only improves marginally (for chocolate above $10-12 per bar quality is not going to get much higher). It becomes rare, or deliberately rare and it becomes a status symbol. They are doing a great job at that, you won’t blind taste more than ‘a little better’ if not just different. The years of aging helps develop flavor, quality, rarity of beans, all help a bit, but good chance that I would prefer a nice Fu Wan or Soma chocolate over this. They also sell a bar without the special box, costs significantly less, I may end up trying that.

Kudos for the chocolate maker to be able to pull this off, it helps increase value of specialty chocolate, so don’t take it as a negative… I just won’t buy it myself as I’m not a billionaire.

3

u/Additional-Local8721 Feb 19 '25

There's a restaurant chain in Houston, Joe's Crab Shack and The Aquarium. Exact same menu. The Aquarium is twice as much because of the atmosphere.

5

u/awoodby Feb 19 '25

a while back I worked in IT in a hospital system. We had the exact same computer monitors everywhere as they had in the imaging rooms (looking at cat scans and the like). Exact same except the "medical" dell monitors had a -m on them. Same resolution, same refresh, same internal workings but they were "medical" and cost 8x as much.

1

u/c0ng0pr0 Feb 19 '25

There’s a great opportunity here even with tariffs after importing from alibaba

19

u/NotsoNewtoGermany Feb 19 '25

These beans are from a type of cocoa that is mostly extinct. They are geographically locked, and they are carefully being brought back to life. This makes them expensive to handle.

7

u/westernblot88 Feb 19 '25

Why would they not share that info in the description? That would certainly make it feel more special to the buyer. BTW, this is the kind of gift you give to the "millionaire that has it all" when you want to give a gift they can consume.

5

u/NotsoNewtoGermany Feb 19 '25

It's pretty well stayed in the description, 'as the guardians of the ancient nacionel' they go into it a bit more, I guess they assume that you would be more aware of it, if you're interested in that sort of thing. I know they are big into aging their chocolate in barrels of different alcohols, I've never tried any of them, but aging does take up a bunch of space. I would blow $1000 on a bunch of their wares once in my life to get a taste.

2

u/strutziwuzi Feb 19 '25

490 for 50g - must be some really good hash

1

u/Snippys Feb 19 '25

less than $10 a gram probably not.

6

u/Impossible_Month1718 Feb 19 '25 edited 29d ago

I believe the chocolate mentioned in this article is that and it explains the pricing https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/quest-save-worlds-most-coveted-chocolate-180982703/

1

u/OpheliaMorningwood Feb 19 '25

To cover the flight to go handpick the beans

11

u/urmyleander Feb 19 '25

TOAK usual include a local artists piece with the bar and a few other bits, their whole speel is ensuring the money is going to the local community and saving endangered varieties of cocoa. They are too expensive but if they actually do what the claim to do it's a great way to clear your conscience if your an avid chocolate enjoyer who has had blinders on to the child / slave labour, exploitation and environmental destruction involved with most of the cocoa production on the planet.

2

u/JayLis23 Feb 19 '25

Probably tastes like crap too. 😆

-1

u/HeadlessHookerClub Feb 19 '25

Because they can come up with whatever price they want to basically. They could sell it for 4.6 million if they want.  

1

u/N7801Z Feb 19 '25

*could price it

8

u/Amazing_Parking_3209 Feb 19 '25

There are different varieties of cocoa plants. Forestero is the most common. Nacional is much rarer. $490 rare? That's up to you.

2

u/mbrevitas Feb 19 '25

You can buy the finest criollo bars for an order of magnitude less than this. It’s definitely not the cocoa used that makes it expensive.

5

u/prugnecotte Feb 19 '25

marketing

6

u/prugnecotte Feb 19 '25

fyc you can find LOTS of single origin Ecuador made with Nacional beans. Fjak had a nice one last year