"There is not much room for error, which makes cocoa especially vulnerable to climate change," said Branch. Coupled with an already-pressured sugar market, the cocoa shortage has spooked major chocolate makers, sending prices of classic candies higher this Halloween season. Specialty chocolatiers have so far been immune to the elevated cocoa prices. Greg D'Alesandre, who leads chocolate sourcing for specialty brand Dandelion Chocolate, said its prices are protected from industry-wide volatility because the company pays a premium for high-end cocoa suppliers. A bad cocoa-growing season makes Halloween chocolate not only more expensive, but sometimes, it also makes it smaller.

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Persons: David Branch, Candy, Mars, Greg D'Alesandre, D'Alesandre Organizations: Washington , D.C, Wells, Food Institute, National Retail Federation, CNBC, Dandelion Locations: Washington ,, Cocoa, West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria