“One hundred years ago the island of São Tomé, off the coast of central Africa, was (with its neighbour Principe) the largest producer of cocoa in the world: the archipelago they share was known as “the chocolate islands”. The 20th century was not easy for cacao growers on the islands, though, and the plantations suffered through inattentive and often absentee landowners; often the plantation labourers suffered too.
After a deep decline into the Eighties, the cacao industry in the islands is now back in great health …”
The excerpt above was taken from an article written by Andrew Baker and originally published in The Telegraph on the 15th of October. You can read the full piece here.