North American Cocoa Grindings Rise 7.65% in Q2 2026, Signaling Strong Chocolate Demand
North American cocoa grindings totaled 109,659 metric tons during the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest survey released by the National Confectioners Association (NCA). Based on the published figures, grindings increased by 7,794 metric tons, or 7.65%, from 101,865 metric tons recorded in the same period last year.
At first glance, the result suggests a solid increase in cocoa processing activity across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, the year-on-year comparison should be interpreted with caution, as the composition of the NCA reporting panel has changed since the third quarter of 2025.
While the survey covered 14 processing plants in both the second quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026, the reporting companies are no longer identical. The Hershey Company, which participated in the second-quarter 2025 survey, is absent from the current reporting panel. Meanwhile, United Cocoa Processor, Inc. joined the survey beginning in the third quarter of 2025, while Lindt & Sprüngli North America now reports on an inclusive basis with Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., which previously reported separately.
The NCA also notes that new reporting companies and plants were added starting with the third quarter of 2025 and that previous-year comparative data are not available for those new participants.
As a result, the reported 7.65% increase should not be viewed as a strictly like-for-like measure of underlying cocoa demand or processing growth. The published figures confirm that reported grindings were higher than a year earlier, but the precise contribution of changes in the reporting panel cannot be determined from the information released by the NCA.
Cocoa Intel
