Obroni and the Chocolate Factory

What country makes the best chocolate? Most people would answer Switzerland, or, if theyre discerning, Belgium or France. But, how many cocoa trees grow in Zurich? Lyon? Antwerp? Shouldnt the country known for growing the best cocoa beans be the one that makes the best chocolate? So, captivated by theories of international trade but with precious little knowledge of cocoa or chocolate, Steven Wallace set out to build the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company in Ghanaa country renowned for its cocoa and where Wallace spent part of his youthin a quest to produce the worlds first export-ready, single-origin chocolate bar. What followed would be the true story of an obroniwhite personfrom Wisconsin taking on the ultimate entrepreneurial challenge. Written with sensitivity and devastating self-awareness, Obroni and the Chocolate Factory is Stevens chaotic, fascinating, and bemusing journey to create a successful international business that aspired do a bit of good in the world. This book is at once a penetrating business memoir and a story about imagining globalism done right. Wallaces picaresque journey takes him to Ghanas residence for the head of state, to the Amsterdam offices of a secretive international cocoa conglomerate, and face-to-face with key figures in the sharp-elbowed world of global trade and geopolitics. Along the way hell be forced to deal with bureaucratic roadblocks, a legacy of colonialism, corporate intrigue, inscrutable international politics, a Bond-esque villain nemesis, and constant uncertainty about whether hell actually pull it off. This rollicking love letter to both Ghana and the world of business is a rare glimpse into the mind of an unusually literate and articulate entrepreneur.