$3
That's what you pay.
The Data Drop · Bonus issue

The Bitter Truth
About Chocolate

Your $3 bar. Their $0.78 day.
4.84M tonnes
·
57 countries
·
1.56M children
Scroll to explore
Legend
Cocoa producer
Top consumer
Cocoa belt (10°N–10°S)
Chapter I · The Cocoa Belt

All chocolate begins between two invisible lines

Cocoa only grows within 10° of the equator. A narrow tropical band where heat, rain, and humidity create the only conditions cacao trees will tolerate. 57 countries. One thin strip of Earth.

The Producers

Two countries grow half the world's cocoa.

Ivory Coast: 1.85 million tonnes. Ghana: 600,000 tonnes. Together, just over half of global supply. The entire chocolate industry depends on two West African nations smaller than Texas.

The Divide

The countries that grow it almost never eat it.

Switzerland: 10.6 kg of chocolate per person per year. Ivory Coast — where 38% of the world's cocoa comes from — almost none. The beans flow north. The money stays there.

Chapter II · The Journey
From Pod to Bar
Eight steps. Two continents. The farmer is only involved in the first three.
01
Harvest
Farmer hand-picks ripe pods from cacao trees with a machete. Twice a year, November–January and May–July.
West Africa
02
Ferment
Beans and pulp heaped in wooden boxes, covered with banana leaves. 5 days. This is where chocolate flavor is born.
West Africa
03
Dry
Spread in the sun on raised mats for 7–14 days. Moisture drops from 60% to under 8%. Inspected and graded.
West Africa
Beans are packed in jute sacks and shipped across the ocean.
The farmer's work ends here. They earned $0.18 of your $3 bar.
04
Ship
8,000 km by cargo ship from Abidjan to Rotterdam — the world's cocoa processing hub. 2-3 weeks at sea.
Atlantic Ocean
05
Roast
210°F for 10–15 minutes. Removes moisture, sterilizes, and transforms raw beans into deep chocolate flavor.
Europe / USA
06
Grind
Shells removed (winnowing), nibs crushed into cocoa liquor — a thick, dark paste. The raw material of all chocolate.
Europe / USA
UP TO 5 DAYS
07
Conch
Mixed continuously for up to 5 days at controlled temperatures. Removes bitterness, develops smoothness. This is where silk happens.
Europe / USA
$3.00
08
Temper & Mould
Heated and cooled precisely so crystals form. Poured into moulds. Wrapped. Shipped. Sold for $3. The farmer got $0.18.
Europe / USA
Chapter III
The $3 Bar
Where does the money actually go?
Farmer6% · $0.18
Trader4%
Export5%
Process8%
Manufacturer20% · $0.60
Marketing12% · $0.36
Retailer35% · $1.05
Other10%
The farmer who grew your cocoa earned $0.18 from this bar.
Your screen has about 2 million pixels.
Each red pixel represents one child.
75%
of your screen.
1.56 million children work on cocoa farms in West Africa. 1.48 million do hazardous work. Some are as young as five.
Chapter IV
The Price Crisis
Cocoa futures, 2020–2026. In dollars per tonne.
Cocoa prices spiked +427% in 2024, then crashed -67% by late 2025. Speculators profited on both swings. Consumer chocolate prices rose 14% and stayed there. Farmer income barely moved.
Chapter V
Big Chocolate
Annual revenue of the five largest chocolate companies. Click a bar to compare.
Mars
$22BM&Ms, Snickers, Twix
Mondelez
$14.4BCadbury, Toblerone, Oreo
Ferrero
$13.8BNutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder
Hershey
$10.3BReese's, Kit Kat (US)
Nestlé
$8.45BKitKat, Smarties, Aero
Average Ivory Coast cocoa farmer household
Farmer
$2,707/year
Mars earns the farmer's entire annual income every 3.9 seconds.

That $2,707 supports a household of about nine. Split it per person per day and you get the $0.78 at the top of this page.

Chapter VI
25 Years of Broken Promises
The Harkin-Engel Protocol, signed in 2001.
2001
Industry signs the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Promises to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in cocoa by 2005.
2005
Deadline missed. Extended to 2008.
2008
Missed again. Extended to 2010.
2010
New goal: reduce child labor by 70% by 2020.
2020
NORC study finds child labor has actually increased. 1.56 million children still working.
2025
Latest deadline. Still not met. The cycle continues.
Chapter VII
But Some Are Doing It Differently
Two brands proving ethical chocolate can scale.
Tony's Chocolonely
2025 Chocolate Scorecard: #1 (91%)
Farmer price$2,200/tonne
Industry average~$1,500/tonne
Child labor on farms3.9%
Industry average46.7%
CertificationFairtrade + B Corp
Feastables
First US brand to pay Living Income price
Cocoa sourcing100% Fairtrade
SinceApril 2025
2025 revenue (company projection)$520M
PartnerTony's Open Chain
Retail locations30,000+
Chapter VIII
The Vanishing Forests
Ivory Coast has lost 80% of its forests in 50 years. Most of it to cocoa.
1960
2024
70% of Ivory Coast's illegal deforestation is linked to cocoa farming. A quarter of all cocoa plantations are now inside protected areas.
Chapter IX
What You Can Do
01

Check before you buy

The Chocolate Scorecard ranks brands on child labor, farmer income, deforestation, and traceability. Search before you shop.

02

Look for these labels

Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and B Corp certified brands pay farmers more and audit for child labor. Not perfect, but better.

03

Choose differently

Tony's Chocolonely, Divine Chocolate, Beyond Good, and Feastables are proving ethical chocolate can be delicious and profitable.

☕Buy me a coffee