Cocoa growers taste chocolate for first time (for Perspective)

[prefrontalfinance]

I noticed one of the comments on this post about Ivory Coast cacao farmers was a little mustachian, and I thought people on this forum might also enjoy the video.

The post also has a link with more info, but basically, the vast majority of cacao (or cocoa) in the world is grown in West Africa, and the condition of the farmers and laborers in those countries ranges from poor to enslaved. This video shows a farmer, his friends, and his workers enjoying chocolate for the first time. Before, they didn't even know what cacao was made into!

http://dailyoftheday.com/cocao-workers-first-taste-chocolate/

[Pylortes]

Wow,  thanks for sharing.  That was cool and helps put our cushy lifestyles in perspective.  These guys spend their lives harvesting cocoa and yet didn't even know it was made into chocolate or had even tasted chocolate.   

[dragoncar]

I honestly thought it was a bit hard to believe that he has a motorcycle but never had chocolate.  They said an entire bar is like half a days salary for him.  A lot for sure, but there are a lot of cheaper chocolate products out there... and definitely within reach if he was so inclined to make it any kind of goal.  Like he's never had a single M&M?  Or tried grinding roasting and grinding the beans?

And they didn't really seem to like it much.  Seems a little fishy, but interesting story nonetheless.

And they didn't show any of the supposed child slave labor going on there?  Isn't that a bigger story than tasting the fruits of your labor?  I'm a lawyer but I've never filed my own multi-million dollar lawsuit.  You don't have to experience everything you produce first hand.

[MayDay]

If anyone is looking for a less expensive but still ethically produced chocolate source, the Costco brand chocolate chips are pretty good.