To me, this makes no sense. Chocolate? It isn’t a necessity. Chocolate is a luxury. It is also perishable. If the price is too high for me, I’m disappointed but nothing essentially changes. So, corner this market? Just wait for next year’s crop.
Chocolate is luxury and not a necessity? Thou speakest blasphemy! To the fires with Jemian! :)
Depends if you are a manufacturer or not. If you are a manufacturer, it becomes a necessity just to keep you in the business.
"To me, this makes no sense."
Only because your stomach is full and you are used to prosperity. Per cubic inch, chocolate is one of the most portable sources that can sustain you when nothing else is available. The person (if it is indeed a person) who bought this supply may be anticipating war and disruptions that we have not seen for almost a century.
This is quite reasonable. The beginning of the XIX century saw Napoleonic Wars and the beginning of the XX century saw WW I. We are ready for yet another major redefinition of the world. The suicidal tendencies of the West --- abandonment of the Judeo-Christian value system, embrace of socialism, defeatist immigration policies, etc. --- cannot end in any other way.
The buyer is likely to make a lot of money.