Why sweets for your sweet could cost more this Valentine’s Day

Miriam Valdes-Carletti goes in search of sweet deals on traditional gifts ahead of Valentine's Day.

If you’re planning on skipping the Valentine’s Day gifts this year, you’re not alone.

A survey done by TD Canada Trust found two-thirds of Albertans surveyed weren’t planning on spending any money on their partner this Valentine’s Day, and three-quarters said they didn’t expect their partner to spend money on them in return.

For people who are wanting to drop some cash on a sweet treat for their sweetheart, finding a hot deal may be more difficult amid economic uncertainty and supply chain issues.

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Chocolatier Brett Roy, owner and chocolatier of Sweet Lollapalooza Fine Chocolates in Commerce Place, has been serving up sweets for 17 years.

He said this past one has been hard to swallow, with the price of chocolate rising four times and hitting a record high in December.

“In this past calendar year, it’s gone from $3,000 a metric ton to over $15,000 a metric ton, so it’s very, very difficult for a small entrepreneur,” Roy said.

The rising price of cacao is due in part to unpredictable weather and disease hitting West African crops in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which produce about 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa.

Roy said the weak Canadian dollar is also driving up his bottom line, as would the impending trade war with the U.S.

“If there’s going to be a 25-per-cent tariff on top, it’s like we’re missing out 50 per cent of the value of what we used to get before,” Roy said. “It’s a huge handicap, and just forces myself to find purveyors from maybe Asia or from Europe.”

Luckily for lovebirds, Roy won’t have to raise prices until after Valentine’s Day, meaning you can scoop up your favorite bonbons for $2.50 and $3.50 each.

Because they’re high-quality, Roy said, you need less quantity.

“We try to work with between one and five per cent of the rarest cacao that’s accountable and traceable, so we’re always using quality,” Roy said.

“It’s not like when you buy a chocolate bar. It’s very satisfying just to have a small little piece and it’ll support your cravings.”

If you prefer blooms over bonbons, you’re in luck.

Eugenia Makovetska, owner of Ma Cherie Floral Design in Westmount, said her prices have yet to be impacted by the threat of tariffs.

Makovetska explained most of her flowers come from Poland, Holland, Ecuador and Colombia, with only 15 per cent of her product coming from the U.S.

“I do get lots of eucalyptus. It’s also seasonal flowers, such as, for example, sunflowers,” she said.

If tariffs do arrive in March, Makovetska said it could possibly push up the price of flowers for International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day. But it might not, she said.

“We’ll just have to see it, and just go with the flow,” she said.

“In the summertime, lots of local flowers are growing,” she added. “If I can work with local farmers, that’s awesome, because then the prices will not change.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti and CNN