Chocolate: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

when i was in middle school, a teacher passed out chocolate candies to the class. after we happily ate them, she showed us a documentary on the cocoa industry. she was just preparing us for john oliver.

As a Ghanaian, it always bothered me how much cocoa my country is responsible for producing yet receives so little of the profit it ends up making.

“It is worse than you may realize” should be the motto of this show

Finding out that journalist was the founder of Tony's was a bigger plot twist than any movie I've ever seen.

I saw this and said out loud, “aww man, what’s wrong with chocolate.”

Wow, I'm so impressed John managed to win "Most likely to be an economist based on appearance" when he was only 21. Such an inspiration.

I'm Dutch and Tony's Chocolonely is also just really good chocolate (it has more actual cocoa than anything Nestlé or Mars produce) and it's not that much more expensive. (In fact, it's only more expensive because the big chocolate producers mentioned in the segment dropped their prices to try and force Tony's out of the market. But they're failing, because it's really good chocolate.)

I’m Ghanaian and I’m very impressed with this well-researched, educative and very important episode!

Tried Tony's for the first time a couple of months ago and thought it was one of the nicest chocolates ive had. Now hearing they're the 'good guys' fighting child slavery is even better. They definitely deserve more recognition.

I covered this subject in world history class my entire teaching career, 15 years. Two of my four principals tried to write me up for engaging in “liberal propaganda.” The USA sure loves its illusions and delusions.

I'm Dutch. Tony's is becoming a pretty big brand here. The chocolate tastes great and it's still very well affordable. There is no excuse for other companies to pay this little.

Fun fact for those who don’t know: during the filming of the of the Dutch journalist which later founded Tony Chocolonely, he wanted that Ben & Jerry’s used slave free chocolate in their ice cream or at least tried, on camera they said great idea we would love to work together, but then when the cameras were “off” (they weren’t) Ben & Jerry’s told him he’d never succeed, never ever. Exactly 20 years later and now Ben & Jerry’s has special editions with Tony Chocolonely chocolate in them :)!

As someone who worked in the Fairtrade chocolate industry for 6 years I am moved to tears that this topic is on John Oliver. My former company, Divine Chocolate, was trying to advocate for these same issues and deliver more through Fairtrade and farmer ownership — the company is co-owned by the cooperative of Ghanaian farmers who supply the cocoa and they have roles on the Board. I’m glad Oliver touched on the point that child labor isn’t the primary issue on its own - poverty is. It’s complex in many ways, but in some it’s not - as long as these enormous companies focus their efforts on maximizing profit, nothing with change. If farmers can have MORE of a share in the wealth they are essential for creating, these issues will improve. They need to have a voice in the industry and more opportunities to earn more.

Big companies being deeply concerned is like politicians offering thoughts and prayers.

The herculean feat of John Oliver talking about chocolate and slave labor for 20 mins without make a single Willy Wonka joke.

Aaah so glad to see Tony's Chocolonely mentioned in the end and approved of. My mother worked in sales for Nestle and Cote d' Or all her life and I'm Belgian, so I've been exposed to chocolate for 40 years, but I can honestly say Tony's have the yummiest chocolates of all time, on top of having paper packaging and not extorting farmers or children. They should just take over the entire chocolate market already.

I love how most episodes basically end in "We need regulation because valuing human lives isn't that profitable."

I'm a Ghanaian and the corruption in this country's cocoa board is absolutely ridiculous. There's a scholarship scheme for cocoa farmers and the farmers children don't get these scholarships.

I always bought Tony’s because they sold it at the bodega where I worked and it was the best on the (pretty significant) chocolate display. Props to them for making an amazing product while also being amazing people.

I believe that all of LWT’s seasons taken together are the best possible introductory course on the issues of modern capitalism.