About this episode

This episode explores the complex relationship between Ivory Coast's cocoa production and its socio-political issues.

Why does the country that grows 45 percent of the world's cocoa receive between five and seven percent of the value of the chocolate bar it becomes? How did a single crop fund two civil wars simultaneously — with the government and the rebels taxing the same beans to buy weapons to fight each other? And what does the concept of Ivoirité — invented to exclude a presidential rival — have to do with the farms that feed the global chocolate industry? Join John and Patrick as they tell the story of Côte d'Ivoire and cocoa — the Ivorian Miracle, the blood chocolate report, and the smallholder farmers at the end of the longest supply chain in food... ---------- In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business ----------- Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Support us! Share this episode with your friends Give a 5-star rating Write a review ----------- Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more. ----------- Instagram, TikTok, Threads…

People in this episode

Hosts: John, Patrick

Topics covered

• cocoa
• Ivory Coast
• chocolate industry
• civil wars
• smallholder farmers
• Ivoirité

Keywords

• Ivory Coast
• cocoa
• chocolate
• civil wars
• Ivoirité
• smallholder farmers
• supply chain

Sponsors

Cornell University

Mentioned in this episode

Products: chocolate

Places: Ivory Coast, Côte d'Ivoire

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