Episode 9: Your Chocolate is Probably African (part 1)

Although cacao’s birthplace is across the upper Amazon in South America, 70 percent of cacao comes from West Africa. In this two-part episode, we’ll explore the history and politics of chocolate and meet the farmers who make it all happen. In part one, you’ll meet Rick Scobey of the World Cocoa Foundation and author and journalist Órla Ryan, who will talk about the historical significance and present-day cultivation of cocoa in Africa. In part two, Simran Bindra of Kokoa Kamili explains the growing popularity of specialized varieties. Guests include: Rick Scobey, president of the World Cocoa Foundation, who explains the kinds of cocoa grown in West Africa and the CocoaAction initiative. Órla Ryan, author of Chocolate Nations: Living and Dying in West Africa and journalist at the Financial Times, on the history of cocoa cultivation in West Africa. Simran Bindra, director of Tanzanian cocoa supplier Kokoa Kamili, on what happens when a country known for commodity cacao starts to grow more specialized varieties (in part two). Learn more at theslowmelt.com . This show is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook of your choice and free 30-day trial at . If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation to support a second season at theslowmelt.com/donate/

You can listen to Episode 9: Your Chocolate is Probably African (part 1) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 9: Your Chocolate is Probably African (part 1) is an episode from The Slow Melt: A podcast about chocolate by The Slow Melt.

This episode is 28:22 long.

This episode was published on May 26, 2017.

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