As a confirmed chocoholic I was more than a bit concerned to hear that Cadburys have just bought Green & Black's, the company which makes the best chocolate in the world. Cadbury's chocolate is also a favourite of mine, but I have to admit that it is a downmarket chocolate when compared to Green & Blacks delicious organic product.
Interesting enough both firms have lifelong connections to ethical practices. The Cadbury family were Quakers and championed strong social ideals especially as concerned employers. They set up the town of Bournville to house its staff and lots of good facilities for those who work for them. Green & Black's, of course, is sells organic chocolate from ethically managed consortia. So I can understnad why Cadburys are trumpeting the similarities between the two companies and the way that they fit together. However, I fear that the differences between the two companies far exceed the similarities.
All the coffee beans used by Green & Black's are organically sourced, most of which come from Madesgascar, Belize and the Dominican Republic. It already purchases about a third of the worlds organic cocoa. While Cadbury's trumpets the ideal of corporate social responsibility it admits that it is a near impossible task to ensure such practice down every level of the supply chain (in other words it doesn't achieve this).
However, the paramount problem over the purchase of Green & Black's is the sheer size of Cadburys. Its sales last year was £6.7 billion, as compared to Green & Black's £22.4 million. I can imagine that in purchasing the raw ingredients for the manufacturing process that Cadbury's primary criteria must be lowest price, whereas by the very nature of its relationship with its main supply chain and its specifiation of requirements Green & Black's primary criteria is ethical and organic sourcing. Cadburys says that it plans to treat Green & Black's as a "protected brand". I hope they keep their word on this especially when it comes to the management of their supply chain as I fear that if the materials for Green & Black's are bought by Cadbury's purchasers that there is a threat, at the very least, of a culture clash, mistakes made and possibly far worse... and the end result then could be the total discredit of everything Green & Black's stands for.
2 comments:
Caramellos! Caramellos! Hunky Husband gave me one of his two bars that he brought home from NY with him. Eventually, I ate one square of the bar and returned the rest to him. They are soooo good; but, I don't need the fats and I wouldn't have been able to resist having the remaining three squares for very long!
If I've ever had Green & Black, it would have been because a co-worker at the little airplane plant traveled to the old world, frequently, and brought good chocolate back with him--which he showered on us women. He retired shortly after I did (but at a 10-15-years younger age) and should have received his nursing degree this month, if I remember correctly. He had been taking nursing courses in night school for the last two or three years that he worked in engineering. He's my chocolate man!
Cop Car
Cop Car, I don't think I've ever come across Caramellos but if, as their name implies, they are chocoalate and caramel then I am am the woman to try them.
I'm sorry that you've not had the opportunity to try any Green & Black's chocolate because it is wonderful. Especially their Mayan Gold which is dark chocolate subtly flavoured with orange and spices. Wonderful.
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