Hot Chocolate in the Cold: The Economics and Politics of Chocolate in the former Soviet Union

The Russian chocolate market is considered one of the most promising emerging chocolate markets in the world. Despite the relatively low consumption levels, Russia’s love for chocolate was already worth 8 billion dollars in 2012. This chapter tells the story of the emergence and development of the chocolate market in Russia, starting with the arrival of chocolate in Russia in the mid-nineteenth century, and proceeds to track the fate of chocolate during the Soviet period (1922–91), the early transition years after the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991–2000), and the more recent past (2000–13). We devote special attention to the link between chocolate and politics, focusing both on Soviet-era issues and on the ‘chocolate war’ between Russia and Ukraine in 2013, which was a prelude to the political crisis between the two countries. The chapter concludes with an outlook for the future.