It has been interesting learning about the differences between single-origin fine cacao and small-scale manufacturing. While both produce chocolate, the way it’s gone about is very different. Many people do not know where the chocolate they eat comes from. Even if they say “Why, it’s from Hershey, Pennsylvania!”, they are not able to tell you where the cocoa itself is from. “Today, confectionery aisles contain a lot of chocolate, but little information about origins. Most wrappers give no indication that, with few exceptions, the cocoa in those candies came from West Africa”[1].

When walking through the candy aisle, something appeals to us when we see chocolate from other countries. Intrigued by its uniqueness and mystery, we buy it. “Single origin chocolate at least names the place where the cocoa grew—an appealing ‘‘localization’’ of a food whose origins are generally anonymous”[2]. Gifting chocolate from a different country feels far more special and prestigious than just handing somebody a bar of milk chocolate mass-produced in the U.S. Specialty, or craft chocolate, may incorporate different candies or nuts into the mix as well, continuing to add character to the traditional treat. Like stated, beans from other countries help to produce a unique flavor that isn’t likely to be replicated, even in another bar of the same type. Beans carry different flavors, especially when they are prepared in different ways.

The way chocolate is made, in general, has changed as well. Though some companies still boast delicious, in-house made “premium” chocolate, most chocolate we consume today is mass-produced. “Moreover, earlier associations of quality with bean origin were replaced by the notion that quality meant consistency: consumers wanted their favorite candy bar to taste exactly the same every time they ate one, never mind what the cocoa beans might taste like”[3]. Companies like Hershey aren’t concerned with the uniqueness of each bar, but instead, they thrive by consistently providing the same flavor we have come to know and love.

Though, not everyone is impressed by mass-produced chocolate. To some people, chocolate is more appealing if it has more character than the traditional Hershey’s milk chocolate. “Industrial chocolate is higher in sugar and less complex in taste compared to the variety of local chocolate makers”[4]. The surprise of chocolate from a new country keeps people purchasing new types and being adventurous when in the candy aisle. “In response to the perceived loss of flavor and quality in industrially manufactured chocolate, beginning in the 1970’s and 1980’s, an increasing number of bean to bar chocolate makers made a return to small scale manufacturing, often using vintage equipment and single origin fine cacao”[5].

Below are some images of chocolate from other countries.

 

 

 

 

[1] Leissle, Kristy (2013) Invisible West Africa-The Politics of Single Origin Chocolate, 22.

[2] Leissle, Kristy (2013) Invisible West Africa-The Politics of Single Origin Chocolate, 23.

[3] Leissle, Kristy (2013) Invisible West Africa-The Politics of Single Origin Chocolate, 23.

[4] Martin, Carla D. and Kathryn E. Sampeck (2016) The Bitter and Sweet of Chocolate in Europe, 50.

[5] Martin, Carla D. and Kathryn E. Sampeck (2016) The Bitter and Sweet of Chocolate in Europe, 53.

Chocolates from around the world:

Swedish Chocolate

Mexican Chocolate

 

Russian Chocolate

 

 

German Chocolate

Chocolate in all of its aspects has gone through a variety of changes since it was first discovered. Our societal standards are rapidly changing, therefore leading to a change in our standards of chocolate. “Chocolate and coffee are particularly susceptible to cultural elaboration and the fluctuating politics of demand.” [1]The cacao bean has been used in religious rituals, used medicinally, and helped determine the wealth or class of an individual, but is now a product of mass quantity.

“Fine flavor manufacturers are selling to a generation that wants pleasure fast.” [2]The meaning of chocolate has thus far been reflective upon the generation’s values. Therefore, if our generation continues to value things that are quick and easy, this will be reflected in the consumption and production of chocolate. Competition is also highly valued within this generation; therefore, the chocolate business is extremely competitive. Manufacturers said, “If it is too good we have to push is down a little bit because if we put something out that is better than what we think we are able to do next year we will have to deal with complaints next year.” [3]This idea is much different from what chocolate has represented in the past. A sign of wealth and high class is now produced as quickly as possible at minimum cost. Look at candy bars, for example, they are produced, packaged, and placed on shelves to sell as quickly as possible, and then replenished.   As the economy continues shifting, and globalization is becoming more and more popular, the standard of chocolate continues to change as well. “The rapid and continuous taste shifts that accompany the globalization of markets in late capitalism and the creation of international demand for French culinary expertise has had important effects on chefs, pastry makers, and chocolatiers.” [4]

Overall, the future of chocolate depends on the appreciation the consumers have for it. If the history of chocolate is acknowledged and appreciated, the sweet has the potential to have a significant meaning once again. If this is ignored, chocolate might continue being a product of mass quantity solely made to taste good and bring in money.  “Yet the fact remains that chocolate was and is distinguished by its semiotic virtuosity even as it has been consumed by the masses.” [5]

[1]Susan Terrio, Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 64.

[2]Pam Williams, Pam and Jim Beer, Raising the Bar-The Future of Fine Chocolate(Vancouver: Wilmor Publishing Corporation, 2012), 146.

[3]Pam Williams, Pam and Jim Beer, Raising the Bar-The Future of Fine Chocolate(Vancouver: Wilmor Publishing Corporation, 2012), 176.

[4]Susan Terrio, Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 42.

[5]Susan Terrio, Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 63.

 

The cultivation of cacao in Europe and America was a historic process that relied on the communication of two very different cultures and ultimately, lifestyles. Initially, European taste was not suited for the chocolate that was being processed and exported by Indians. Spaniards altered the chocolate to better fit their preferred taste, whereas Europeans wanted to preserve the Indian chocolate in its natural form. This forced a new taste for this type of chocolate in Europe causing a cultural collision between the two trade partners. “Migration of the chocolate habit led to the cross-cultural transmission of tastes (an appetite for spices such as vanilla and pepper, the color red, and a foamy froth)”[1]. How exactly did Europe assimilate to the then-foreign sweet? Biological and economical essentialism were main drivers in the spread. Cacao was very valuable in the European market and was thought to be a symbol of wealth, increasing its import. Equally important is cultural functionalism. As an example of cultural functionalism, red hot chili peppers thrive more in markets populated by cultures that emphasize spicy-ness in their cuisine. This is the same principle that opened the door for Cacao to enter the European markets and allow the transfusion of different cultures.

 

It isn’t surprising that chocolate swept through Europe after it had been introduced. Many people enjoy the taste of chocolate, but the physiological experience of eating chocolate is as important. The development of a physiological desire for chocolate was not instantaneous with its introduction to Europe. In-fact, most Europeans had to learn to like chocolate and even then these pioneers were not satisfying a physiological desire. These physiological mechanisms “include increased serotonin production, the release of endorphins, the actions of methyl xanthine, phenyl ethylamine, and anandamides; and the supply of magnesium”[2]. The assimilation of chocolate may be traced back to the core culture of food in Europe, in fact “your [food] preferences actually have a scientific basis and knowing this can help you understand why you eat what you eat”[3]. The diffusion of fondness of chocolate in Europe is a great tack in seeing the adoption of this colonial good. The chocolate spread wasn’t only in Europe but also migrated to America. “The American public is passionately responding to chocolate that embodies true, vivid cacao flavor and loving artisanship”[4]. The passion for true chocolate in Europe and America creates a free exchange of cultures and lifestyles.  

 

[1] Norton, Marcy. “Tasting Empire: Chocolate and the European Internalization of Mesoamerican Aesthetics.” The American Historical Review 111, no. 3 (2006): 660-91. doi:10.1086/ahr.111.3.660, p.660 

[2] Benton, David. “The Biology and Psychology of Chocolate Craving.” Nutrition, Brain and Behavior Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain, 2004. doi:10.1201/9780203618851.ch15. p.205 

[3] Stuckey, Barb. Taste What Youre Missing: The Passionate Eaters Guide to Getting More from Every Bite. New York: Free Press, 2012. p. 11 

[4] Presilla, Maricel E. The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2009. p.129

As a staggering number of Americans have or will develop diabetes it is important to look at what has led Americans to a fast passed, junk food diet. “Cheap food is imp

ortant to capitalism because it allows wages to be lower (and thus profits to be higher) and yet leave workers with more disposable income available to buy other commodities”[1]. These diets often include large amounts of sugar, which are generally deemed as unsafe by most researchers. The increase in sugar consumption is, in part, contributed to the idea that sugar is addictive[2]. “The addictive quality of sugar can be compared to that of cigarettes”[3].Consumers’ desire for sugar can be attributed to the marketing power that the sugar industry has.

The Big Sugar industry has fought tooth and nail and invested millions of dollars for decades to contradict negative claims against sugar consumption[4]. For example, “In the mid-1990s, with funding from the Mars Company, Hollenberg set out to prove that what protected the Kuna from heart disease was chocolate”[5].The research done by Hollenberg was later shown to have many errors in his research and therefore cannot necessarily be taken as fact. 

Hollenberg is not, however, the only researcher to say chocolate provides us with health benefits. Throughout history many have believed that chocolate can be used for medical and therapeutic needs. “Surely, it is chocolate as a functional food that recognizes and generate interesting physiological effects, likely to promote or maintain health, and therefore chocolate as medi-food,”[6]. Today, though there is still some debate studies have been more conclusive. “Many of the beneficial effects of chocolate are associated with the antioxidant effects of the polyphenols contained in cocoa”[7]. Other benefits of chocolate consumption include lowered blood pressure, cognitive function, better moods, and nerve protection[8].

Even though chocolate may have health benefits, like anything it should only be consumed in moderation. As research continues to advance and elaborate on the sugar and chocolate phenomena we will develop a better understanding of the risks and benefits. Regardless, industry giants will still continue to push us towards the sweeter diets. Overall, the story of chocolate and sugar does not end here.

[1] Robert Albritton, Between Obesity and Hunger – The Capitalist Food Industry (2012), 343

[2] Robert Albritton, Between Obesity and Hunger – The Capitalist Food Industry (2012), 344

[3] Robert Albritton, Between Obesity and Hunger – The Capitalist Food Industry (2012), 344

[4] (Taubest and Kearns Couzens, 2012)

[5] James Howe, Chocolate and Cardivascular Health-The Kuna Case Reconsidered  (2012), 45

[6]  Donatella Lippi, History of Medical Use of Chocolate (2013), 13

[7] Margarida Castell, Francisco Jose Perez-Cono, and Jean-Francois Bisson, Clinical Benefits of Cocoa – An Overview (2013), 266

[8] Margarida Castell, Francisco Jose Perez-Cono, and Jean-Francois Bisson, Clinical Benefits of Cocoa – An Overview (2013), 267-270

 

Industrialization and the desire for money have immensely impacted the chocolate industry. Once a culturally significant food with deep meaning has turned into solely a source of income, with a forgotten history of the bean. “The case of cacao is symptomatic; once the drink of Maya lords, it is now a commodity subject to cutthroat international competition.” [1]The local chocolate businesses have been taken over by large companies, such as Hershey’s, and have taken away the intimacy and community aspect of cacao farming. These companies do not care about the sweat and tears involved in farming the cacao beans, the family traditions that come with the process, and the people whose lives revolve around the beans, but only about obtaining mass quantities of money. In places like El Ceibo, the people had goals of improving their production of chocolate. For example, one local said, “as you’ve seen in our project proposal, we desperately need a fund for purchasing beans from the peasant farmers. We also need to build a second fermentation plant accessible to the farmers on the other side of the river, and we need a truck for hauling our beans to the capital city.”[2]Despite the desire for upgrades in the system, the people of El Ceibo wanted the resulting benefits to remain local. This, however, was overlooked by large companies. Another community member from El Ceibo stated, “look, we are not trying to sell out candy in the downtown sectors of the city but to campesinos, poor folk like ourselves who have migrated from rural villages. They love them.” [3]

Mass production and receiving maximum money quickly masked the original goals of local cacao farmers. “Initially our buyers were relatives and friends…then co-op members also began taking chocolates back home for sales in community stores… Aymara wholesales began showing up and buying in bulk… and we are starting to find bigger clients that will enable our enterprise to grow and bring even more benefits back to the Alto Beni farming communities.”[4]The issue with this statement is the benefits don’t go back to the community, as “producers only receive 15 per cent of the sale value for cocoa-based finished products.” [5]In addition, the large companies take only the good quality chocolate and sell it, leaving the deformed, unsellable chocolate for the locals and cacao farmers. This adds to the problem of the locals’ goals not being met.

The quality of the cacao produced has also lost importance. The once hands-on process has been replaced by machines specialized in mass production. Instead of the quality of the chocolate being of utmost importance, “the success of fast foods, he insinuates, depends on compulsive gluttony and unrefined taste, both of which manifest in fat bodies.” [6]Overall, the possibility of income that comes with chocolate has taken over the original meaning of the sweet. There is a large gap between the goals of local cacao farmers and the goals of the large companies who have taken over in chocolate sales, and the reality is the goals of the large companies will be met while the locals’ will be forgotten.

 

[1]Jeffrey Pilcher, Taco Ball, Maseca, and Slow Food-A Postmodern Apocalypse for Mexico’s Peasant Cuisine(Altamira Press, 2008), 407.

[2]Kevin Healy, Cacao Bean Farmers Make a Chocolate Covered Development Climb(University of Notre Dame Press, 2002), 127.

[3]Kevin Healy, Cacao Bean Farmers Make a Chocolate Covered Development Climb(University of Notre Dame Press, 2002), 131.

[4]Kevin Healy, Cacao Bean Farmers Make a Chocolate Covered Development Climb(University of Notre Dame Press, 2002), 132.

[5]Ndongo Sylla, The Fair Trade Scandal: Marketing Poverty to Benefit the Rich (Ohio University Press, 2014), 29.

[6]Julie Guthman, Fast Food/Organic Food-Reflexive Tastes and the Making of Yuppie Chow(Routledge, 2003), 46.

“In Brazil, women, children and older slaves were apparently seen as particularly suited to the tasks of cocoa farming, with the results that elite planters bought more female than male slaves in the nineteenth century”[1]. Typically, women were given jobs based on their strength such as removing and sorting the beans. “Varied written accounts (supported by photographic evidence) suggest that women were employed to remove coca beans from the pods, spread out the beans to dry, and polish them. Meanwhile, male workers took care of the cocoa trees; clearing the forest and planting new trees, weeding and pruning. Men would also harvest and break the pods”[2]. This goes to show that although roles were separated, both were crucial to the cocoa production.

Pay for women was consistently lower than that of the pay of men, especially when pay was based on the day rather than the volume of beans picked. “In addition, [women] had responsibility for producing and preparing food and providing other services such as healthcare for their families and neighbors”[3]. Not only were they expected to do their job on the farms, but also provide for their family, meaning their duties were not done when they left work.

In an attempt to raise awareness of the conditions of the cocoa industry, Divine Chocolate company decided to do a photo shoot to show off the woman in the industry. Instead of portraying them in the conditions they actually were in, “Divine Chocolate and St. Luke’s supplied the women’s outfits and gave them a stipend to have their hair styled for the shoot; the women were also compensated for the time they spent modelling”[4], which gave the image that women were treated fantastically. This created an image that women’s roles were delicate, instead of putting a spotlight on the hard work that the women actually contributed. “We ‘see’, analytically, that women’s everyday endeavors and experiences, which are mostly ignored in the literature on globalization, indeed constitute globalized formations (of ideas, capital, etc.)”[5]. On top of this, it was reported that the photos that were taken incorrectly depicted these women to be wealthy, instead of addressing their normal day to day attire. The article wanted to show off the women, rather than showing the reality. “The Divine women have clearly fashioned their bodies using transnational goods and aesthetics. Unlike National Geographic’s women bedecked in colorful tribal dress or unclothed with bare breasts (Allman 2004), the Divine women wear alluring, factory made, wax-print cloth. Their perfectly coiffed hair and gleaming skin suggests a regime of bodily care, using industrially made soap and cream. They sport delicate gold and silver jewelry, as opposed to bright, hand-woven or beaded necklaces, lip and neck plates, or lobe-stretching earrings (with the exception of Naomi Amankwaa in Figure 5, who wears what appears to be a tightly woven or beaded bracelet)”[6].

 

Typically, chocolate consumption and production are not associated with unethical practices. Holidays and celebrations are usually events that require it, but the reality of how this sweet treat is produced is, well, not so sweet. The supply of chocolate is possible through the exploitation of children laborers. This form of labor can be very cruel and unfair to the children and is considered the equivalent to modern day slavery.

Child slaves working unmanageable hours for an unproportionable wage is what is going on behind the scenes of the chocolate industry. Much of this problem is in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa farms. The care and treatment of the Ivory Coast child laborers is brutal, described as having “little to eat, slept in bunkhouses that were locked during the night, and were frequently beaten.”12 This type of treatment is not the price that should be paid so that we can indulge. Due to Côte d’Ivoire being reliant on their child workers to stay productive, the scale of this crisis is very big.

The size of the problem is a result of a discrete system working through out West Africa and Cote d’Ivoire. In fact, it is “estimated that more than 800,000 children in Cote d’Ivoire and nearly 1 million children in Ghana have worked on cocoa-related activities in the past twelve months.”13 This system swiftly entices children to work on these farms but makes it nearly impossible to leave. The age of most of these laborers is “between 12 and 14” and the type of work they do “is considered acceptable so long as it doesn’t exceed 14 hours.”14 This causes children to lose out on opportunities like education that could equip them with tools for life. Although, it is thought that some of the child laborers have some agency, but the situation of their farm makes them forced to choose the poor conditions and unfair wages. “Their ability to make a real choice is considerably constrained by the household dynamics of which they are a part. As a result, their rights (including their rights as workers) are considerably undermined.”15

Child laborers working in cacao farms is an exploit that must be stopped. Children are not equipped to stop this without any of our help. Next time you have a piece of chocolate just imagine what was sacrificed for it and how you can help this situation change.

 

As China’s economy transformed and developed it was evident that there was a new wave of consumers to take hold of by the chocolate giants, Hershey’s, Cadbury, Nestle, Mars, and Ferrero. This battle for market share was a new challenge for these companies because “There is no single path to business success there, however, the country is too big, too complex, and evolving too quickly for simple, ‘one size fits all’ business formulas”.[1]

China’s economic development has gone through three phases, experimental, critical-mass, and the break-away, each giving providing challenges and victories for the chocolate titans and business as whole. The experimental phase was marked by the curiosity of consumers who began having access to new goods and services. Moving into the critical-mass phase infrastructure was more effective and efficient, and more qualified employees were available. Break-away is where we saw “a tectonic shift in the mind-set of the Chinese people and how they view themselves and their nation’s place in the world”.[2]

“For the Big Five chocolate companies, the lack of brand awareness and established taste preferences in China was a golden opportunity to establish millions of potential customers,”.[3] In order to be the winner of this battle the companies had to understand a wide variety of traditions. “While China’s ethnic composition is fairly homogeneous, its culinary traditions are not”.[4] One key-factor tradition was the belief in Yin and Yang. As balance is the central idea of the tradition Chinese people tended to mainly eat chocolate in the summer months.[5]

Another tradition to make note of is the original Chinese perception that chocolate is a luxury item and therefore consumption was more justified when given as a gift. “Gift giving, therefore, because the cultural gateway for chocolate’ initial entry into China, and chocolate gifts from abroad had a decisive influence on how the Chinese established their initial impression of it”.[6] By the 1990s over half of the chocolate sales in China were for gift giving, compared to less than ten percent in other parts of the world.[7]

Though other factors should not be ignored, it was the geographical accessibility of chocolate that seemed to really make a difference. “When sizing up the opportunity in China, the key for the Big Five was identifying ‘geographically accessible’ consumers – those to whom the product could be marketed and sold with relative ease”.7 Even in large cities chocolate was still not accessible to most because of income and lack of air-conditioned retail spaces. In order to better focus their efforts company divided locations into three economic tiers based on location, income, and consumers familiarity to foreign goods.[8] Tier-one was the focus for companies as these were the most developed economically. Second-tier cities did not provide the same level of accessibility as first-tier cities, making it more difficult for the Big Five to sell their goods. The third-tier had even less accessibility, making the chocolate business very seasonal.

The battle for Chinese market share is currently led by Mars and Ferrero. Both companies made initial lasting impressions on the people of China. Mars was the company in which the “first generation of chocolate consumers” preferred in terms of taste.[9] Companies still have a lot of potential in the Chinese market, however since much of the population still does not have quick access to the delicious treat. China’s economic state is still rapidly changing and evolving, leaving the opportunity for growth and development seemingly endless as more people move up the economic ladder.

 

[1] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),18

[2] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),19

[3] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),22

[4]Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),23

[5] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),24

[6] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),25

[7] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),26

[8] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),35

[9] Allen, Lawrence, Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China’s Consumers, (Saranac Lake: AMACOM, 2009),202

In the West, the development of a singular, connected, food industry was dependent on factors that would eventually allow mass cuisine. Methods of preserving, transporting, marketing, and more importantly automating food production were the foundations of the global food market. Most people are familiar with the two industrialists of the western chocolate industry, Milton Hershey and Frank Mars, the founders of The Hershey Company and Mars, Inc., respectively. Together they applied these same concepts to chocolate production, effectively contributing to the goal of a connected food industry.

Large-scale production was heavily impacted by the efficiency of the producer in the early 1800’s. Automation was implemented into factories to boost productivity and was exemplified in the early sardine-canning industry. Before tools and machines to assist workers were introduced to the canning industry, it was believed that “A skilled man can fill only 50 or 60 cans a day”, After the assistance of machined canning in the 1900s it was now thought that “two men with assistants could produce 1500 cans a day”[1]. This type of innovation was also used by the chocolate industrialist Milton Hershey. A renowned chocolate industrialist, Hershey had just developed a revolutionary milk-chocolate formula and had his eyes set on mass-producing it in 1903. After the success of his recipe, “work at the homestead focused on refining the process and adapting it for large-scale production”[2]. It was clear that having an organized and working production facility was a crucial component of the success of Hershey’s businesses.

Another well-known chocolate industrialist, Frank Mars, also knew that to create a network of mass chocolate production his factories and their efficiency had to be a priority. After moving his early business to a factory in Chicago, he began his mass production of chocolate. On the “inside, everything was cutting edge. Designed by the engineering department of the Austin company- which built all of the automobile plants for ford- the plant was sleek, modern, efficient and as automated as possible”[3].

The early beginnings of the mass food industry that we now take for granted were not spontaneous. The industrialists of this development understood what needed to be implemented to achieve a standardized food industry. Hershey and Mars were just some of the people who started this movement in the chocolate industry, which has now evolved into an interconnected system of food production, preserving, transporting, and marketing capable of feeding the western world.

 

[1] Goody, Jack, “Industrial Food-Towards the Development of a World Cuisine”, Published 1982, p.159

[2] D’antino, Michael D., “Hershey-Milton S. Hershey’s Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams”, Published 2006, p.108

[3] Brenner, Joel, “The Emperors of Chocolate”, Published 2000, p.57

The conflict between economic interests and a regard for the dignity of human has been an ongoing issue dating back to the 1900’s. Although Portugal had abolished slavery in all its colonies, the need for plantation workers prevailed. William Cadbury, a journalist who observed the conditions of suspected slavery in Portugal, said, “The Portuguese law, of course, does not permit slavery, but this was one of many instances I found on the mainland in which labour employed was not voluntary.”[1] People were being traded and forced into slavery, so others could get out of debt or purchase something they otherwise couldn’t afford. “A man might trade his sister’s children to pay off a debt or to slake the thirst for rum.”[2] Most slaves that came about from this situation were shipped to islands of São Tomé and Príncipe where they would be forced to spend the rest of their lives on cocoa plantations. Not only were they ripped away from their homes, but the conditions they were forced to live in were horrible. People were “taken away from their homes and transported across the sea to work on unhealthy islands, from which they never return.”[3] This lack of empathy shows the disregard for the value of human life. English journalist, Nevison, said “The only motive for slavery is money-making, and the only argument in its favor is that it pays,”[4] further proving the only thing slave owners valued was money. The prosperity of islands was based on the production of cocoa beans, and more slaves meant more cocoa beans, which meant more money. Journalists, such as Cadbury and Edward Ross, took measures to expose the industrial slavery that was taking place.  Original reports from the 1900’s refused to refer to these individuals as slaves, denying the fact that what was happening was illegal and wrong. Ross found “abusive white settlers forcing Africans to work on plantations and build roads and government buildings for no pay.” [5] Cadbury found a prominent amount of slavery through his observations as well, however commission members and those in authority who read their reports refused to accept their findings as official evidence. This proved that industrialization was valued more than human life.

[1]Catherine Higgs, Chocolate Islands: Cocoa, Slavery, and Colonial Africa (Ohio University Press, 2012), 136.

[2] Lowell J. Satre, Chocolate on Trial (Ohio University Press, 2005), 3.

[3] Catherine Higgs, Chocolate Islands: Cocoa, Slavery, and Colonial Africa (Ohio University Press, 2012),137.

[4] Lowell J. Satre, Chocolate on Trial (Ohio University Press, 2005), 8.

[5] Catherine Higgs, Chocolate Islands: Cocoa, Slavery, and Colonial Africa (Ohio University Press, 2012),161.