We all love chocolate, but what do we actually know about where our chocolate comes from and how it’s made?
The fact is that 70% of the world's chocolate is grown in West Africa, in an industry that currently employs more than 2 million child laborers. How did chocolate and child labor become so intertwined and what would a more ethical chocolate industry look like?
We sat down with the chief chocolate evangelist from Tony’s Chocolonely, Ynzo Van Zanten, to find out.
Episode Show Notes:
- Learn more about Tony's Chocolonely on their website.
- You can join the fight for a more ethical chocolate industry by signing this petition.
- To better understand the dark side of the chocolate industry, Ynzo recommended watching the chocolate episode of the Netflix Series "Rotten." Check out the trailer for season 2 here.
- As a reference, 60% of the world's chocolate supply comes from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, much of which is currently grown using child labor.
- Read their most recent Annual Report to learn about the impact on the chocolate industry.
- Ynzo's go-to karaoke song is "Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.