The Wire

We often question the origin of commodities like meat and dairy products, but have you ever wondered where your chocolate comes from? The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, providing 43% of the world’s supply. Harvesting cocoa is intensive, back-breaking work, which for centuries was a job done by the world’s poorest labourers. The declining cost of cocoa beans has now led to the work being done by West African children. Carol Off has documented the practices of slavery and the tainted history of cocoa in her recent book, Bitter Chocolate, Investigating the dark side of the world’s most seductive sweet.