Megan Callister
English 1010.050
Prof. Maenhardt
The Search for Chocolate Gold
Literally named “food of the gods,” Theobroma cacao has a rich history filled with
intrigue and secrecy. Chocolate started out as a health drink. The Mayans were the
original cocoa cultivators. They used chocolate in its more natural pasty, thick form;
and mixed it with spices to make a healthy drink. When the New World was discovered,
so was cocoa. Spanish royalty held a monopoly on cocoa for a short period of time.
Soon it spread to other countries, which continued to keep it away from commoners
until the 1700’s. This ideal of chocolate being a special treat or even a treasure
continues today through the marketing of the companies, the desire from the
consumers, and the cacao farmer’s work-much done by hand, signifying the delicate
balance of making the best, and making the most of it.
Company: Recent and less-than-recent acquisitions have created giants in the
chocolate industry. Hershey remains the sole candy-only giant in America.
Americans are so nostalgic about their candy bars, it’s almost impossible
to get them to try something new. Mars and Hershey-the Candy Kings, as
they’re known to insiders-can readily attest to that. Take Mars’s Bounty
bar, for example. In 1988, Hershey turned the candy world upside down
when it unexpectedly acquired the U.S. division of Peter Paul/Cadbury,
maker of Mounds.... To compete with Hershey’s new muscle, Mars
introduced the Bounty bar in 1989….Bounty failed after just two years,
even though every blind test Mars conducted showed consumers
preferred it 2 to 1 over the competition. (Brenner 25)
Hershey and Mars have a long history of competition. Ironically enough, Mars owes
Hershey for its start in the American chocolate industry. Frank Mars went to William
Murrie (president of Hershey) for his chocolate coating. In fact, research was done at
Hershey specifically for Mars bar’s coatings, such as Snickers, 3 Musketeers, and Milky
Way (Brenner 61). Forrest Mars decided later that his father’s comfort zone was not
enough. He built the empire that Mars is today, which includes much more than
chocolate, including the suffocating secrecy they are known for today. Mars owns
Uncle Ben’s rice, Purina (and other) dog food brands, as well as being responsible for
chocolates.
Chocolate companies now look at consumers differently than the idealistic ways
of Cadbury and Hershey’s past. Both have roots in Quaker heritage. Hershey is
unrecognized on the global level, yet in America they are much more than a house-hold
name. The iconic chocolate is actually slightly soured, due to Hershey’s unique milk
chocolate processing. Looking back, Milton Hershey wasn’t the only one who had
issues creating the delicious form of chocolate. The unique and individual processes for
each chocolate create their unique taste. These are specifically trained to the tastes of
that country. Cadbury’s British-born brand is very milky tasting and rich. Swiss
chocolate has a hazelnut undertone, as well as a wafer-like taste in their Ritter bars.
Hershey chocolate has the slightly soured taste, popular only in the states.
Fig. 1 Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper ‘78-’82.
These guidelines drive chocolate companies
to fashion their chocolate according to consumer
tastes; or do they drive consumer purchasing itself?
We try the new chocolates, displayed right by checkout stands, providing the ultimate impulse buy.
Even back in the 1860’s, advertising was important to brands such as Cadbury, who
were struggling to gain a foothold. Their new drinking chocolate, Essence, was pure
cocoa extract. Yet it was not selling. Against their Quaker scruples, they went to a
sales firm and got the endorsement of doctors, saying that it was a satisfying and
healthy drink, not filled with the preservatives other chocolate drinks had during that
time (Cadbury 57-59). Some chocolate companies saw consumers as dollar signs.
Some companies installed philanthropic idealisms based off their religions. Some
companies have overbid the competition and stolen their source-a highly reputable
source at that. Amedei went to the farmers at Chuao and paid off the farmer’s debts
and raised the price of purchasing their precious cocoa beans from Valrhona. This cutthroat competition has thrived throughout the ages, and feeds the idea that one area of
high quality cacao makes the best chocolate.
Consumer: Personally diving into the chocolate dilemma, I found many surprises
in the taste test I put together-which was my biggest reason for choosing chocolate as
my topic. I love chocolate and have a natural curiosity that drove this report. Using the
advice of Food and Wine columnist, Pete Wells, as well as recommendations off
fiftybest.com, I assembled 16 different chocolates that myself and two companions
tasted. Our results proved our taste’s differed slightly from Well’s palate. Overall Lindt
Classic Recipe Double Milk Chocolate rated the highest for milk chocolate, and Amedei
Venezuala rated the highest for dark chocolate-which was “creamy for a dark
[chocolate]” (Callister 2). This is different than Wells, who might be “the first traveler in
history who went to Tuscany to save money on a candy bar,” namely Chuao, their
flagship bar (Wells 1).
Other high recommendations are Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and
Dagoba – an American chocolate (purchased by Hershey).
The most interesting
chocolate to eat is Tazo’s Mexican-Chocolate Mexicano. Very low ratings came from
Lumi’s Fusion Bar and Buffalo milk chocolate-which was far from the creamy goodness
that was expected.
Dagoba, Amano, and Lindt recommendations came from
fiftybest.com.
Without the diligence of small firms, the competition for best chocolate would go
to the monster companies, limiting the consumer experience.
Fiftybest.com was a
useful resource as it provided a few ideas for some of the chocolate favorites. I enjoyed
tasting the famous Chuao bar, but it was not one of the top-runners for anyone but
myself; and over double what the rest of most chocolate bars cost me.
Farmers: Cocoa is grown 20 degrees north or south of the equator. To these
farmers, cocoa is as important as oil to the Middle East (Brenner 232). Back in 1900,
slavery was abundant on cocoa farms. When the Cadburys learned about the fact that
Sao Tome and Principe, where 45 percent of Cadbury beans were purchased, might
use slaves-they were abhorrent (Cadbury 173). The major cocoa bean producers today
are from “the Ivory Coast, Brazil, Ghana and Indonesia. Thirty years ago, Ghana and
Nigeria were the world’s biggest producers, but disease and civil unrest have slashed
Fig. 2 Main
cocoa producing
countries.
their cocoa output substantially” (Brenner 232). Mars, Hershey, and other companies
have all, at one point or another, tried to have their own crop of cocoa, due to market
changes and environmental risk. The plant itself is easily damaged and easily
susceptible to pests and disease. World Agroforestry.org has a picture (attached) which
shows the line of ideal cocoa production running right along the equator, which I think is
useful as a visual tool.
Conclusion: The difficulties and challenges in cocoa’s history add to the intrigue
and desirability. Chocolate company’s infamous secrecies challenge that of the CIA
itself. The consumer can buy chocolate impulsively or from the needs of a chocoholic.
Although no connoisseur, I would now consider myself well-versed in chocolate, and
now a seemingly unfailing desire to find the best chocolate sinks its grasp into me.
Farmers toil, often using primitive methods such as hand-grinding-a good reference of
that provided by “Cocoa Growing Countries,” which explained the intricate processes.
Chocolate flavor cannot be reproduced and therefore all this work must be done to bring
us the sweet, secretive, and irreplaceable chocolate.