Synopses & Reviews
Corporate candy giants Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars built business empires out of one of the world's most magical, sought-after substances: chocolate. In The Emperors of Chocolate, Joël Glenn Brenner--the first person to ever gain access to the highly secretive companies of Hershey and Mars--spins a unique story that takes us inside a world as mysterious as Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Packed with flavorful stories and outrageous characters that give the true scoop on this real-life candyland, The Emperors of Chocolate is a delectable read for business buffs and chocoholics alike. Start reading and you'll soon be hungry for more.
Review
"In this delicious history of chocolate manufacturing in the United States, Brenner treats us to an assortment of tasty tidbits from cocoa plant facts to how chocolate is made to where Halloween trick-or-treating originated. But this is mostly a fascinating history of the two biggest American candy producers. Brenner takes us from the early symbiotic relationship that existed between Hershey and Mars through the fast-paced, highly competitive relationship they share today while introducing us to the main players in the battle for chocolate bar domination. While the book gives equal time to telling us about Milton Hershey's eccentricities and philanthropy,
the chapters relating to the Mars family, their unique lifestyle, and their obsession for manufacturing efficiency add a bitter bite to this scrumdidilyumptious book." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
Recounting the real-life adventures of corporate giants Forrest Mars and Milton Hershey, "The Emperors of Chocolate" dishes royally on Candyland's corporate spies, cutthroat lawyers, and paranoid executives and provides a mouth-watering look at our culture's passion for chocolate.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-343) and index.
About the Author
Joël Glenn Brenner began reporting on the candy business in 1989. She is the first and only journalist ever to gain access to the Mars company, and her Washington Post Magazine cover story on Mars won numerous prizes. She was recognized five times by the Financial News Journalism Reporter as one of the best financial journalists in the nation under the age of thirty. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia and now lives in New York. She can be reached at www.JoelGlennBrenner.com.