This year's Valentine's Day sales season has already started.

Due to soaring raw material prices, the price range is higher than usual, and in the product lineup, fair trade products that take into consideration the working environment of producers are also noticeable.

Of these, the department store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo opened a special sales floor from the 20th.



We have more than 1000 types of products, mainly from famous domestic and foreign brands, but due to rising raw material prices and import costs, the price range is higher than usual.



In addition, in terms of product lineup, products based on "fair trade" that considers the working environment of cacao producers and products using domestic ingredients are gaining popularity.



Tomofumi Ishii, manager of the sales promotion department at the Seibu Ikebukuro Main Store, said, "Each manufacturer is trying to reduce production costs, but the price of all products has risen by 8% to 10%. However, even though prices are rising, , Products with added value beyond deliciousness are very popular, and sales are on track to surpass last year's sales."

“Fair trade” spreads to chocolate

Products based on "fair trade" that considers the working environment of producers are spreading to chocolate.



Among them, a chocolate maker headquartered in Kyoto opened a new store in Marunouchi, Tokyo last month in response to growing consumer interest.

The products we handle are products based on "fair trade" with cacao producers.



Fair trade is a way of thinking that producers in developing countries and consumers in developed countries are on equal footing, and this company supports cocoa producers in Indonesia.



As a result of improving productivity and quality by providing guidance on cultivation and processing techniques, the producer's income increased by about 1.5 times.



One of the customers who visited the store said, "I'm conscious that it's important not only to be delicious and cute, but also to help others."



Keiichi Yoshino, CEO of "Dari K" said, "Consumers' awareness is increasing considerably. Valentine's Day is the time when people are most interested in chocolate, so I want it to be a time to think about producers and the environment." was talking