S tart spreading this “news cover-age” if you are nuts about hazelnuts and sweet on Nutella.
Although removing Nutella products from Delta Sky Clubs may not exactly be akin in terms of perceived sacrilege to eliminating Biscoff cookies or Woodford Reserve from their offerings, there is a possible reason as to why you most likely will not find the chocolate treat from Delta Air Lines anymore.
Cold weather and bitter frosts in Turkey led to a poor harvest of hazelnuts, which is one of the main ingredients of Nutella. The forecasted production of hazelnuts this year is expected to be 370,000 tons — a considerable decrease from the usual 590,000 tons per year — and causing the price of a kilogram of hazelnuts to increase from six Turkish lira last year to 11 Turkish lira this year.
That is roughly the equivalent of a price increase from $2.75 to $5.00; and purchasers of hazelnut products are feeling the crunch — although they probably wish it was from biting the hazelnuts themselves and not from the sharp price increase of approximately 82 percent…
…which means that the cost of chocolate hazelnut spreads such as Nutella are increasing — and that could be the reason for the elimination of Nutella from the new menu of the Delta Sky Club lounges.
“More surprisingly, the nutella is going away”, posted FlyerTalk member berliner5000. “The limitless nutella packs were the only redeeming quality of the LAX SC.”
Of course, there is always the possibility that the decision to eliminate the offering of Nutella in Delta Sky Clubs was for no other reason than it was simply a part of the planned menu changes to the overall menu at Delta Sky Clubs, which was received favorably overall by many frequent fliers at both Milepoint and at FlyerTalk.
My first taste of Nutella was at an executive lounge at an airport in Europe years ago. Despite the fact that I do not enjoy nuts, I do like the taste of Nutella — although I have never purchased any for myself, as it is not something which I crave — but the increased cost of Nutella will most likely not affect me at all.
Will other hotel and airport lounges which have offered Nutella products in the past follow What are your thoughts pertaining to the increase in prices of hazelnuts and of Nutella?
Image of Nutella packet courtesy of Ferrero.
