The logistics of the Easter supply chain

It is estimated that between 80 and 90 million Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year, the average spend per person is £37 (this works out as 2 eggs approximately per person, based on the 46 million people who plan to celebrate Easter)

90 million chocolate eggs laid side by side, would stretch from the UK to Sri Lanka.

Easter egg and seasonal confectionery sales have already totaled over £130M so far this year, this is a 10% increase on 2024. Partly lead by early retail promotions, discounted goods have accounted for 28.2% of the total sales, the highest proportion in 4 years. Easter is established as one of the biggest retail events of the year.

So where do our Easter eggs come from –

Each 200g of chocolate egg uses 54 grams of card and 2 grams of foil.

Most of the cocoa used by British manufacturers comes from West Africa (Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire) The Ivory Coast produces 43% of the total cocoa used worldwide.

Each tree produces 20-30 cocoa pods per year (each pod has 20-40 beans) Beans are harvested, dried and exported in sacks. Once graded the cocoa beans are transported via airfreight. So all those long haul Winter sunshine flights will have been carrying Easter chocolate as well as holiday makers!

Once roasted and ground factories pour molten chocolate into egg molds, wrapped in foil and packaged in individual boxes.

Packaging is typically a quarter of the total product by weight

160 tonnes of foil packaging is used and 4,370 tonnes of card in the UK alone.

China is the world’s largest primary aluminium producer, manufacturing over 40 million metric tonnes per year.  In 2024, United States imported $1.45B of Aluminium Foil, being the 303rd most imported product (out of 1,227) in United States. In 2024, the main origins of United States’ Aluminium Foil imports were: China ($264M), Germany ($153M), South Korea ($147M), Thailand ($134M), and Japan ($78.8M)

Then the transport and delivery takes place – temperature controlled and time sensitive shipping required. Careful handling and storage of these delicate products is essential – the only person who should be smashing open a brand new Easter egg is the final recipient!

Germany produces as much as 230 million chocolate bunnies every year and France spends more than €300 million on chocolate alone throughout the seasonal period

Eggs are big business. The Easter eggs market size was valued at USD 11.97 billion in 2023.

And finally, the million dollar question –  what is the most popular chocolate egg in the world….

It’s the Cadbury’s Creme Egg. Initially launched in 1971, five hundred million are made annually (305 million are exported from the UK to overseas markets)

This is far too many for one Easter bunny to deliver, so if you need assistance with your supply chain contact us.