Have you every gone to your favorite supermarket or chocolate retailer and looked at the owners of the chocolate companies? The companies make billions of dollars because people love or enjoy chocolate. One of the books written about chocolate is Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury published by Douglas & McIntyre Press, Vancouver, 2010. The author’s name Cadbury means there is an emphasis on British chocolate companies because she is related to the Cadbury chocolate company.

By 1905,  Cadbury, Rowntree, Nestle, Hershey, Lindt, Frys were all producing chocolate products for the masses and all were successful. It takes good management to sustain because things in the world happen. World Wars which affects production and supplies. For a while the biggest American investor in Cuba was Hershey who wanted to control his supply of sugar. He eventually owned the Hershey Cuban Railway, 65,000 acres of land and a town of Hershey, Cuba. Things were going along well for the companies as they continued to make money and try to change the world around them.

Then came Forrest Mars of Mars who began to produce chocolate-coated bars in factory quantities. The other companies focused on solid chocolate bars and only a few brands, when Mars invented Milky Way the industry changed. The challenges of the world changing after WW II and the British Empire changes as countries became independent, including different companies in their home market. As the 1960’s arrive, the founders begin to die or retire, what to do with the companies. All companies founders have a hold on their businesses, when it changes then the company changes. By the 1990’s large multinational companies are looking to expand or grow their divisions by looking at the continual sales of chocolate. Kraft eventually bought Cadbury to strengthen its holding of chocolate companies. Kraft is now called Mondelez International and if you google candy companies the top 100 will show up.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the chocolate companies changed the use of the chocolate from drinks and hard chocolate to easy to eat and continue with easy to buy, along the way companies expanded and consolidated and still fight for market share. Your choice at the supermarket is still very important to the companies. If your choice is important you can measure how well they are doing while you shop.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.