Photo: Cocoa farming, postcard 1906.
Chocolate drop: John Kimberley has a personal take on the Cadbury São Tomé controversy
‘Their goal was not a solitary gesture, but effective, systemic reform.’
For contemporary Friends, the story of the Cadbury chocolate company and the cocoa from São Tomé and Príncipe is more than a historical business case; it is a profound lesson in the challenges of living our testimonies in a complex world. In the early 1900s, Cadbury faced allegations that the cocoa it purchased was produced using forced labour – something anathema to Quaker belief. While critics then, and since, have portrayed the company’s cautious response as a failure of moral courage, a closer examination reveals, I believe, a different truth: Cadbury’s protracted actions were not an abdication of responsibility, but a deliberate and consistent application of Quaker ethical traditions. The company’s strategy, shaped by the practices of discernment, collective unity, and principled patience, offers a compelling example of seeking right action through the Quaker method, even under immense public pressure.
