麻豆社

The mountainous archipelago of S茫oTom茅 and Pr铆ncipe was once the world鈥檚 biggest exporter of cocoa. The twin island nation in the Gulf of Guinea was uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. They brought slaves to work the land producing cash crops like sugar and coffee. In the 1890s these crops were replaced by cocoa and the islands became known as the biggest cocoa exporter in the world.

The plantations were farmed first by slaves and then by forced, exploited islanders. When the horrific working conditions were exposed in the 1920s, chocolate manufacturers switched their source of beans to Ghana and Ivory Coast. S茫oTom茅鈥檚 ignominious reputation as the chocolate nation was over.

Presenter Tamasin Ford went to visit the islands to take a look at the cocoa sector now.

Produced by Russell Newlove

Image: Chocolate making; Credit: Russell Newlove/麻豆社