Chocolate Wars: From Cadbury to Kraft: 200 years of Sweet Success and Bitter Rivalry

Thedelicioustruestoryoftheearlychocolatepioneersbytheaward-winningwriter,anddirectdescendantofthefamouschocolatedynasty,DeborahCadburyIn'ChocolateWars'bestsellinghistorianandaward-winningdocumentarymakerDeborahCadburytakesajourneyintoherownfamilyhistorytouncovertherivalriesthathavedriven250yearsofchocolateempire-building.IntheearlynineteenthcenturyRichardTapperCadburysenthisson,John,toLondontostudyanewandexoticcommodity:cocoa.Withinageneration,John'ssons,RichardandGeorge,hadcreatedachocolatecompanytorivalthegreatEnglishfirmsofFryandRowntree,andtheirEuropeancompetitorsLindtandNestlé.ThemajorEnglishfirmswereallQuakerfamilyenterprises,andtheirbusinessaimswereinfusedwithreligiousidealism.InAmerica,MiltonHersheyandForrestMarsprovedthattheyhadtheappetiteforbusinessonahugescale,andsuccessfullyresistedtheEnglishcompanies'attemptstomastertheAmericanmarket.Aschocolatecompaniesracedtocompetearoundtheglobe,Quakercapitalismmetachallengethatwouldeventuallydefeatit.AttheturnofthemillenniumCadbury,thesoleindependentsurvivorofEngland'schocolatedynasties,becametheworld'slargestconfectionarycompany.Butbeforelongittoofacedathreattoitsverysurvival,andthechocolatewarsculminatedinamulti-billionpoundshowdownpittingindependenceandQuakertraditionagainstthecut-throattacticsofacorporateleviathan.Featuringacolourfulcastofsavvyentrepreneurs,brillianteccentricsandresourcefulvisionaries,‘ChocolateWars’isthestoryofauniquelyalluringproductandoftheevolution,forbetterandworse,ofmodernbusiness.