The 10 largest cocoa bean buyers paid from US$ 4.50 to US$ 7.17 per kilo in 2026
- Cocoa beans from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Mexico sold at an average of US$ 5.33 per kilo in 2026.
- The 10 largest buyers paid from US$ 4.50 to US$ 7.17 per kilo; Atlantic Cocoa paid the most.
- Barry Callebaut, Olam and Cargill declared their own intra-group shipments above the price they paid other Ecuadorian suppliers.
Customs records from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Mexico show what each cocoa bean buyer paid per kilo in 2026. Across the four origins, beans sold at an average of US$ 5.33 per kilo. The 10 largest buyers took 43% of the US$ 2.71 billion exported, and their average prices go from US$ 4.50 to US$ 7.17 per kilo.
The price changes by origin
Ecuador's beans averaged US$ 5.43 per kilo, Peru's US$ 4.90, Colombia's US$ 4.51 and Mexico's US$ 3.72. Ecuador shipped 86% of the value of the four countries, Peru 12%, Colombia 1.4% and Mexico less than 1%.
The month also changes the price. Ecuador's beans went from US$ 6.83 per kilo in January to US$ 4.23 in April and US$ 6.09 in September. Peru's went from US$ 5.44 in January to US$ 3.67 in April and US$ 5.82 in September. A buyer's average depends on when its shipments left.
Price per kilo of the 10 largest cocoa bean buyers, by origin
Blue, price paid to other suppliers; clay, price of intra-group shipments. Source SUNAT, SENAE, DIAN and Mexican Customs, 2026.
Who paid the most
Atlantic Cocoa paid the highest average, US$ 7.17 per kilo, and US$ 8.21 for Ecuadorian beans. Agroindustrias Unidas de Cacao followed at US$ 6.40. Both bought most of their Ecuadorian beans from the same exporter, Agroindustrias Arriba, at US$ 8.60 and US$ 7.47 per kilo.
The two largest buyers by value paid less than the average of all buyers. Barry Callebaut paid US$ 4.85 per kilo and Cargill US$ 4.87. Olam paid the lowest average of the ten, US$ 4.50.
For Peruvian beans, the 10 largest buyers paid between US$ 3.48 and US$ 5.13 per kilo. GCB Cocoa paid US$ 4.81, Cargill US$ 4.69 and Barry Callebaut US$ 4.37.
What large buyers charge themselves
Four of the ten buyers also receive beans from their own company in Ecuador: Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Nestle and Olam. Those shipments are transfers inside the same group, not sales, so they are left out of every average in this piece. They add up to 15% of the value of all cocoa beans exported by the four countries.
Their price is still worth reading next to the price paid to other suppliers. Barry Callebaut declared its own Ecuadorian beans at US$ 6.67 per kilo and paid other Ecuadorian suppliers US$ 5.06. Olam's transfers were declared at US$ 6.34 against US$ 4.77 from other suppliers. Cargill's were US$ 5.06 against US$ 4.99. Nestle received all of its Ecuadorian beans from its own company, at US$ 5.11 per kilo.
In the three cases with both prices, the intra-group price is not below the price paid to other suppliers in Ecuador. Part of the gap can come from timing, since the months of each flow are not the same.
For a cocoa exporter, the same bean can sell at very different prices depending on who buys it and when. The full list of buyers, with what each one paid and to which suppliers, is in the World Cocoa Bean Buyers Radar.
Intra-group cocoa is not priced below other Ecuadorian suppliers
Price per kilo of Ecuadorian cocoa beans in 2026. Nestle bought no Ecuadorian beans from other suppliers. Source SENAE.
Ecuador's cocoa beans sold for the most per kilo
Average price per kilo of cocoa beans by origin, 2026, without intra-group shipments. Source SUNAT, SENAE, DIAN and Mexican Customs.
The numbers behind this
| Buyer | Average, US$ per kilo | Ecuador, others | Ecuador, own group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Cocoa | 7.17 | 8.21 | |
| Agroindustrias Unidas de Cacao | 6.40 | 7.19 | |
| GCB Cocoa | 5.07 | 5.31 | |
| Nestle | 4.98 | 5.11 | |
| JB Cocoa | 4.93 | 5.03 | |
| Stonex | 4.93 | 4.93 | |
| Cargill | 4.87 | 4.99 | 5.06 |
| Barry Callebaut | 4.85 | 5.06 | 6.67 |
| General Cocoa | 4.69 | 4.70 | |
| Olam | 4.50 | 4.77 | 6.34 |
| All buyers | 5.33 | 5.43 |
Get the list of world cocoa bean buyers
Every buyer of cocoa beans from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Mexico in 2026, ranked by value, with the price each one paid per kilo and its suppliers.
See the buyer listFrequently asked questions
What is the average price of cocoa beans in 2026?
US$ 5.33 per kilo across Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, leaving out intra-group shipments. Ecuador averaged US$ 5.43, Peru US$ 4.90, Colombia US$ 4.51 and Mexico US$ 3.72.
Which cocoa bean buyer paid the most per kilo?
Atlantic Cocoa, with an average of US$ 7.17 per kilo and US$ 8.21 for Ecuadorian beans. Agroindustrias Unidas de Cacao followed at US$ 6.40.
How much do Cargill and Barry Callebaut pay for cocoa beans?
Cargill paid US$ 4.87 per kilo on average and Barry Callebaut US$ 4.85, both below the US$ 5.33 average of all buyers.
Do large buyers price their own shipments lower than other suppliers?
Not in Ecuador in 2026. Barry Callebaut declared its own beans at US$ 6.67 per kilo against US$ 5.06 from other suppliers, Olam at US$ 6.34 against US$ 4.77 and Cargill at US$ 5.06 against US$ 4.99.
How much of the cocoa bean trade is intra-group?
15% of the value exported by Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Mexico in 2026 moved between companies of the same group.