logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2019
28m 45s

Chocolate and Sustainability | 7

Wondery
About this episode
Growing the cocoa needed to produce chocolate on the scale a company like Mars or Hershey needs is an immense undertaking. One serious consequence chocolate producers are now facing is deforestation in countries that grow the cocoa for the world's chocolate demands. The Washington Post reports that in 2017, 40 football fields of tropical forests were lost ev ... Show More
Up next
Mar 2020
The North Face vs Patagonia - Dirtbags | 1
It’s the 1960s, and two climbing buddies are about to lay the foundations for a new industry.The older of the two is an outdoorsman and part-time blacksmith Yvon Chouinard. His younger buddy is Doug Tompkins, who abandoned his Connecticut rich-kid life to find his kicks in the wi ... Show More
23m 20s
Mar 2020
The North Face vs Patagonia - Blazing Trails | 2
It’s 1970 and The North Face’s new owner Hap Klopp is on a mission to turn the dirtbag outdoor store he bought into an industry trailblazer. But with outdoor activity still a niche pastime, he’s going to have to do more than create gear – he’s going to have to create a market too ... Show More
25m 41s
Apr 2020
The North Face vs Patagonia - Patagucci | 3
It’s the late 1970s and Patagonia’s living hand to mouth and looking for a way to stoke sales. But when founder Yvon Chouinard suggests making a jersey from an unusual fabric, Patagonia creates a mountain staple and finds its products becoming a favorite of the catwalk crowd.Mean ... Show More
25m 31s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2019
Can chocolate be clean?
The bittersweet world of chocolate is complex - cocoa beans are produced by some of the poorest people on the planet and turned into chocolate for some of the richest, and the sweet stuff is haunted by child labour, slavery, trafficking and deforestation. But could the rise of ar ... Show More
26m 5s
Mar 2024
Is climate change impacting chocolate production?
For centuries chocolate has had a global appeal, the key ingredient of this confectionery is derived from the dried and fully fermented seed of the Theobroma cacao, whose origins began in northern Amazonia. From this tree, both cocoa solids and cocoa butter can be extracted to fo ... Show More
23m 59s
Aug 2024
Have Swiss scientists made a chocolate breakthrough?
Chocolate is very important to Switzerland’s economy: with more than 200,000 metric tonnes produced each year, sales are worth almost $2 billion. But there are challenges – not just over sustainability, but over exploitation. And the volatile price of cacao.We meet the researcher ... Show More
17m 39s
Apr 2025
Ep 86: Hot Commodities: Chocolate & Sustainability (ft. Tony's Chocolonely)
Welcome to the first episode of Hot Commodities: Chocolate & Sustainability, a new series from Sustainability Defined! Meet your new hosts, Cecilia and Nethra, as they dive into the environmental and social challenges within the chocolate supply chain. From cacao farming to the f ... Show More
1h 13m
May 2024
The Cocoa Crisis
The global chocolate industry is grappling with a steep rise in cocoa prices, leading to significant changes for producers and consumers alike. This unprecedented surge, driven by unusual weather patterns and long-standing structural challenges, has sent shockwaves through the ma ... Show More
22m 27s
May 2021
El chocolate de hoy (Chocolate of Today)
Cacao was once a cash crop for Costa Rica — until a fungus in the 1970’s wiped out over 80% of the country’s cacao trees. Today, Juan Pablo Buchert is trying to revive the industry, by promoting sustainability and fair trade. A transcript of this episode is available at https://b ... Show More
24m 53s
Apr 2024
Why are chocolate and coffee getting more expensive?
The cost of cocoa - the key ingredient for making chocolate - has reached an all-time high. In fact, the price has roughly doubled over the past year. The soaring cocoa prices are squeezing major chocolate makers and filtering through to consumers who are paying more for their sw ... Show More
15m 24s
Oct 2023
Bittersweet. Exporting cacao beans for a living (S7 - Ep2)
Cocoa is an important export crop for West African countries. Yet, many of the smallholder cocoa farmers struggle to earn a decent livelihood. Assata Doumbia, president of the ECAM cooperative in Côte d'Ivoire, applies a mix of strategies to obtain higher and more predictable inc ... Show More
19m 19s
Jul 2023
The chocolate village
Peter MacJob visits Eti-Oni village in south-west Nigeria, home to the oldest cocoa plantation in the country. It's king, HRH Oba Dokun Thompson, is on a mission to transform the economy of the community by manufacturing chocolates and selling in some of the finest shops across E ... Show More
18m 8s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami