Bitter sweet success for Venezuelan chocolate - 19 May 2008

Al Jazeera's Lucrecia Franco reports from Venezuela, on how the chocolate industry is becoming a new battleground.

As left-wing nationalism spreads across Latin America, foreign companies there are having to rethink their business strategies.

Willie Harcourt-Cooze, a British entrepreneur who has been dubbed Willy Wonka after the fictional character, is using Venezuelan cacao beans to make a highly sought-after chocolate.

Harcourt-Cooze boasted that his South American plantation produces "the finest, rarest and most expensive cacao in the world".

However, his success has left a bitter taste in the mouth of Hugo Chavez, the country's president.

Chavez has ordered an investigation into his export business.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• lucrecia
• franco
• al
• jazeera
• english
• venezuela
• chocolate
• willie
• harcourt
• cooze
• cacao

[LouisianaGatorGirl]

If the townsfolk say that this plantation owner exploits his workers, I believe them. I'm glad President Hugo Chavez is investigating him.

[uchoob00]

Its not jealousy, it's about making sure the products of the country are produced in a manner that is helpful for the country and no one is exploited. Pretty much every country has regulations as to how a business should be run. Nothing new here

[zIsebsmithIz]

in the end though, chavez is using money from oil on parties and champange, instead of helping the poor

[peachygotit]

Lol, The venazalian Government would get a cut surly!! Don't you have tax's there"" this would surly be sufficiant and people getting under paid, join the frecking club, most people are underpaid in this world, however the president won't be under paid, put more heat on your own presidents they are the ones exploiting the people!

[lrommm]

Hola soy venezolano y digo que me encanta mi bella patria :D

[perolito123]

I do not support chavez at all. he is out of his mind. however, I support this single action. There is no reason to have this guy going to Venezuela welcomed with open arms, he makes a killing with the chocolate and then he pays shit to the poeple? hey and by the way....people treated him with respect and manners, and I guarantee you if the guy was venezuelan and he was gone to england he would have been treated like shit not to mention he would have never achieved anything but to be a janitor.

[rsn1966]

Keep it in mind. There are not laws in Venezuela. Welcome to the jungle of Chavez.

[Truth666]

Illuminati agents: From Ahmadinejad to "Obama".

Grotesquely rigged elections: Resister Chavez greeting iranian Goebbels is example of what a victim of the BIG LIE technique is all about

*********

Google

iran-hoax MattMarriott

*********

----

June 19 - Pathetic illuminati media, from CNN to BBC, from Al-jazeera to France24, broadcasts "live" two hours of iranian Hitler/Goebbels, subtitle "after 10,000 protested for days"

----

LAST END TIMES PROPHET announces end of agent Ahmadinejad WITHIN DAYS

[ViveLaMorte]

Oh and by the way Willie Harcourt-Cooze is already the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. He is married to Tonia Coleridge, the women from the George Michael "Father Figure" video.

[ViveLaMorte]

If Chavez had half a brain he would not close this cacao farm down.He would tax the hell out of the imports.I have heard that the chocolate bars are selling for anywhere from £5-£15.Surely if someone is willing to pay that much for a chocolate bar another £1-£2 tacked on as an export tax would not dissuade them.This reminds me of do-gooders offended by the wages Nike paid to workers in their overseas factories only to find out that they were paid three times as much as other workers.

[merlspiers]

if he stopped willys chocolate exports, i'm sure he would find somewhere else. Though considering each cacao block sells for £5, surely £1 should go to the local economy. But it would be quite good to see a video response from him.

[emelisofia]

Chavez recontraguevon!!!!!!!!!!