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Chocolate Wars
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Product Description
The delicious true story of the world’s most famous chocolate firms by award-winning writer and a descendant of the Cadbury chocolate dynasty, Deborah Cadbury
In 'Chocolate Wars' bestselling historian and award-winning documentary maker Deborah Cadbury takes a journey into her own family history to uncover the rivalries that have driven 250 years of chocolate empire-building.
In the early nineteenth century Richard Tapper Cadbury sent his son, John, to London to study a new and exotic commodity: cocoa. Within a generation, John's sons, Richard and George, had created a chocolate company to rival the great English firms of Fry and Rowntree, and their European competitors Lindt and Nestlé. The major English firms were all Quaker family enterprises, and their business aims were infused with religious idealism.
In America, Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars proved that they had the appetite for business on a huge scale, and successfully resisted the English companies' attempts to master the American market. As chocolate companies raced to compete around the globe, Quaker capitalism met a challenge that would eventually defeat it. At the turn of the millennium Cadbury, the sole independent survivor of England's chocolate dynasties, became the world's largest confectionary company. But before long it too faced a threat to its very survival, and the chocolate wars culminated in a multi-billion pound showdown pitting independence and Quaker tradition against the cut-throat tactics of a corporate leviathan.
Featuring a colourful cast of savvy entrepreneurs, brilliant eccentrics and resourceful visionaries, ‘Chocolate Wars’ is the story of a uniquely alluring product and of the evolution, for better and worse, of modern business.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'Chocolate Wars' has several interweaving strands: the history of one major confectioner - Cadbury; the broader story of the rivalries between different firms and the race to discover new and better ways of making cocoa and chocolate; fascinating 19th century social history and a good slice of Quaker history in to the bargain.
Eminently readable, Deborah Cadbury writes with the pace of a thriller - often leaving a chapter on a 'cliff-hanger' which will be resolved later in the account. The development of the chocolate industry could hardly be made more fascinating and enthralling. With rivalry and competition (the 'chocolate wars') between firms in Holland, the U.K., Switzerland and America this book also sweeps in the fascinating history of such companies as Hershey, Rowntree, Fry, Nestle, Lindt and Mars.
Two thirds of the book covers the period up to the outbreak of the First World War - and this is by far the most interesting period. There is a good exposition of Quaker business values and philanthopy and this, inevitably, covers the establishment of the Bourneville model village and Rowntree's subsequent building of a similar venture at New Earswick in York. The social history aspect is fascinating too and, as a former sales representative myself, I was intrigued by the story of Cadbury's 'travellers'. Initially they had just one man who covered the country from the midlands up to the north of Scotland by horse and on foot! Later in the 19th century they had export representatives who went as far afield as Austrailia on speculative (and successful) missions.
On the Quaker history front it was interesting to see that, while George Cadbury firmly opposed the Boer War, his outright Pacifist beliefs were challenged by the fierce German aggression that began the First World War. Two of his sons even went so far as to enlist to fight while another son, Laurence, took the more Quakerly course of joining the Friends' Ambulance Unit.
The last chapters of the book cover the story from the period of the Second World War up to the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft. The tragedy is that, if the monopolies and mergers commission had not blocked the merger of Cadbury and Rowntree, two historic British firms with a similar history and values would have been saved from hostile foreign multinational takeovers.
Eminently readable, Deborah Cadbury writes with the pace of a thriller - often leaving a chapter on a 'cliff-hanger' which will be resolved later in the account. The development of the chocolate industry could hardly be made more fascinating and enthralling. With rivalry and competition (the 'chocolate wars') between firms in Holland, the U.K., Switzerland and America this book also sweeps in the fascinating history of such companies as Hershey, Rowntree, Fry, Nestle, Lindt and Mars.
Two thirds of the book covers the period up to the outbreak of the First World War - and this is by far the most interesting period. There is a good exposition of Quaker business values and philanthopy and this, inevitably, covers the establishment of the Bourneville model village and Rowntree's subsequent building of a similar venture at New Earswick in York. The social history aspect is fascinating too and, as a former sales representative myself, I was intrigued by the story of Cadbury's 'travellers'. Initially they had just one man who covered the country from the midlands up to the north of Scotland by horse and on foot! Later in the 19th century they had export representatives who went as far afield as Austrailia on speculative (and successful) missions.
On the Quaker history front it was interesting to see that, while George Cadbury firmly opposed the Boer War, his outright Pacifist beliefs were challenged by the fierce German aggression that began the First World War. Two of his sons even went so far as to enlist to fight while another son, Laurence, took the more Quakerly course of joining the Friends' Ambulance Unit.
The last chapters of the book cover the story from the period of the Second World War up to the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft. The tragedy is that, if the monopolies and mergers commission had not blocked the merger of Cadbury and Rowntree, two historic British firms with a similar history and values would have been saved from hostile foreign multinational takeovers.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Above all, this book is a fascinating account of a slice of social and economic history. Quakers played a critical role in the development of British industry in the 19th century, bigger than I had imagined. They dominated the emerging chocolate industry, and many others. Not for them the "dog eat dog" philosophy promulgated by Adam Smith a century earlier. As the book says, "the idea that wealth creation was for personal gain only would have been offensive". They were there to serve the community. And to promote social reform. In effect, the Quakers created and ran what we would now call social enterprises. The author skillfully weaves together several stories of Quaker entrepreneurship, chronicling their many trials and setbacks as well as their successes. This book is for anyone interested in the emergence of the liberal ideas that lie at the foundation of our modern welfare state. Equally, the Quaker approach to business has implications for the conduct of companies today. All in all, an easy, enjoyable and illuminating read.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As soon as this book came out, I couldn't wait to read it. Having been to Cadbury World, I knew some of it's history, but wanted to learn about it in more detail.
It interweaves the main story about Cadbury (well, it is written by a Cadbury!) and the history of other chocolate manufacturers (Fry, Rowntree, Nestle, Mars etc). It was really well researched and everything flowed really well. Deborah Cadbury quite often leaves you on mini cliffhangers, which are resolved later in the story.
The book made me appreciate how long these companies have been going (over 180 years for Cadbury), which is not something I had considered before. I felt almost proud to have Cadbury as a British symbol, espeically with all the extra work they did outside of running a business. They were far ahead of their time socially, not only with their own staff, but the general public as well. Some of the things they did amazed me (I won't spoil it for anyone but you will understand what I mean if you have read it).
The final chapters focus on the Kraft takeover and they made me feel incredibly sad. It certainly made me realise that not everything you read in the papers is true. The one thing that really angered me was that RBS offered Kraft a loan of £630 million to buy Cadbury and they were 85% British taxpayer owned at the time! Quite ironic really.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it. It's a book that a lot of businesses could learn from.
It interweaves the main story about Cadbury (well, it is written by a Cadbury!) and the history of other chocolate manufacturers (Fry, Rowntree, Nestle, Mars etc). It was really well researched and everything flowed really well. Deborah Cadbury quite often leaves you on mini cliffhangers, which are resolved later in the story.
The book made me appreciate how long these companies have been going (over 180 years for Cadbury), which is not something I had considered before. I felt almost proud to have Cadbury as a British symbol, espeically with all the extra work they did outside of running a business. They were far ahead of their time socially, not only with their own staff, but the general public as well. Some of the things they did amazed me (I won't spoil it for anyone but you will understand what I mean if you have read it).
The final chapters focus on the Kraft takeover and they made me feel incredibly sad. It certainly made me realise that not everything you read in the papers is true. The one thing that really angered me was that RBS offered Kraft a loan of £630 million to buy Cadbury and they were 85% British taxpayer owned at the time! Quite ironic really.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it. It's a book that a lot of businesses could learn from.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fascinating
This has to be one of the best books I have read recently for several reasons; it is an unusual subject, it delves into the social history and it is well written. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bryan Jones
A little tedious...
I didn't get to the end, it all got a bit samey samey and didn't grip me. I think it could have been half the length and a whole lot more readable.
Published 6 months ago by Simon Crabb
`Business was not an end in itself; it was a means to an end.'
In writing this book, Deborah Cadbury set out to understand `the journey that took my deeply religious Quaker forebears from peddling tins of cocoa from a pony and trap around... Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. Cameron-Smith
Social and industrial history laced with politics and religion
The story has its roots in Richard Tapper Cadbury's decision to leave the sheep-farming family into which he was born and seek a different trade. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Peter Durward Harris
A fascinating insight
I thought I knew quite a lot about the history of chocolate, but this book throws light onto a history seldom highlighted. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lee Barton
We All Love Chocolate.
What goes on behind our favourite brands of chocolates?Be amazed when you read this book.Will you still enjoy your favourite nibble after reading this book? Read more
Published 12 months ago by David Barnes
A Wonderful History of Chocolate in Britain
A thoroughly enjoyable book for any serious chocoholic. Deborah Cadbury has written a wonderful history of the evolution of chocolate in Britain. Read more
Published 16 months ago by E. Hickey
Sweet!
This book covers the history of the confectionary industry in the United Kingdom with a specific focus on Cadbury products. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Christy2002
Chocolate Wars
I read this book over the Christmas and its excellent,
Its a very good account not only of the chocolate industry and its origins but it gives some excellent hisorical... Read more
Its a very good account not only of the chocolate industry and its origins but it gives some excellent hisorical... Read more
Published 16 months ago by mmalone
Illuminating History of Quaker Business Values versus Today's Greed
Today's top CEOs, Investment Bankers and Politicians should be required to read this fascinating history of the Chocolate families of the UK, Europe and America. Read more
Published 17 months ago by C. Holmes
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