How Price
Hikes Impact
Brand Choice

Nuances in chocolate
consumption across Latam

Despite the rise in chocolate prices – although this has slowed over the past year – household consumption continues to grow in volume. Within this growth, premium brands have found space in a market traditionally dominated by mainstream brands.

Where do they shop?

In Brazil, the supermarket channel has consolidated its position as the big winner over the past year: between 2024 and 2025, the volume sold in the channel increased by 15%, demonstrating its relevance as a stock-up channel in inflationary contexts.

A deeper analysis shows that traditional stores, which make up 12% of the market, have lost 19.6% of their volume between 2024 and 2025, contributing to 3% of the category’s total volume drop in Brazil.

Despite the 16% price increase over the past year, the chocolate market in Colombia grew by 8.4% in volume compared to 2024, mainly driven by the modern trade, which accounts for 47% of the market.

Traditional stores made the biggest contribution to the growth of the category (a 14% change, responsible for 42% of the total category growth), followed by Discounters, Wholesalers, and Supermarkets.

What do they buy?

Over the past two years, the Colombian chocolate market has experienced a significant shift in brand preference. Economy brands have doubled their volume share, rising from 9% of the market in 2023 to match premium brands at 17% in 2025. This 37% volume increase over 2024 makes the economy tier the main driver behind the category expansion.

The mainstream segment, although still leading with a 59% share, shows signs of stagnation, growing only 6% in volume, and losing share. The premium segment, in turn, has remained stable, with no significant volume growth (+0%), reflecting consolidation rather than expansion.

In 2025, the Mexican chocolate market has grown by 14% in volume compared to the previous year. This growth is distributed evenly between mainstream and premium brands, both increasing volume by 15% and maintaining their importance within the category mix.

Economy brands are also growing, albeit at a slightly slower rate (+12%), now accounting for 30% of the market. Private labels, in turn, with a modest 4% share, have seen a 13% volume growth, in line with the market average.

Where do
they shop?

While the modern trade remains the leader with a 42% market share, its growth has been moderate (+8.6%). In contrast, channels offering proximity or cost efficiency have gained the most volume:

What are the strategic opportunities for brands?

In a challenging environment, the household panel dashboard allows you to identify paths for growth:

The chocolate category reflects how Latin American households respond to economic pressure: with their own strategies, rational decisions, and refusing to completely give up their small indulgences.

Understanding this behaviour requires more than just analysing the spend. It involves continuous, in-depth observation of household life. That's what Worldpanel does. And that's what allows brands to make confident, informed decisions.