Chocolate on Trial: Slavery, Politics, and the Ethics of Business

by Lowell J. Satre

At the turn of the twentieth century, Cadbury Bros. Ltd. was a successful, Quaker-owned chocolate manufacturer in Birmingham, England, celebrated for its model village, modern factory, and concern for employees. In 1901 the firm learned that its cocoa beans, purchased from Portuguese plantations on the island of São Tomé off West Africa, were produced by slave labor.

Chocolate on Slavery, Politics, and the Ethics of Business is a lively and highly readable account of the events surrounding the libel trial in which Cadbury Bros. sued the London Standard over the newspaper’s accusation that the firm was hypocritical in its use of slave-grown cocoa. Lowell J. Satre probes issues as compelling now as they were a century globalization, corporate social responsibility, journalistic sensationalism, and devious diplomacy.

Satre illuminates the stubborn persistence of the institution of slavery and shows how Cadbury, a company with a well-regarded brand name from the nineteenth century, faced ethical dilemmas and challenges to its record for social responsibility. Chocolate on Trial brings to life the age-old conflict between economic interests and regard for the dignity of human life.

Genres: History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 27, 2005

Reviews

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a travesty, incriminating a product because ”business” has to be only in the hands of the all-powerful government. Never mind the wars, just look at the hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats like Satre who make a very good living from the taxes collected from the working people, pretty much like the ”businessmen” exploiting the black slaves.

[Mamta Valderrama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking insight into the history of chocolate, colonialism, and exploitation of African slaves from Angola. The behind the scenes tale of the great chocolate pioneers, Cadbury, is a disturbing look at how slavery was justified to cultivate cocoa. Recommend this book for anyone interested in colonial history, the business of chocolate, and African and European history.