Engaging

This is a memoir of Steven Wallace’s business life while doing business in Ghana. Ghana and Cote d’Lvoire are the two biggest cocoa growers. Coco grows on trees in tropical areas primarily West Africa. Wallace is an attorney who decided to make a gourmet chocolate bar and hot chocolate drink after his family business closed. He had been an exchange student to Ghana when he was in high school. He built the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company in Ghana. Wallace lives in Wisconsin; now that’s a long commute.

The book is well written and is written in a relaxed style as if the two of us were just sitting and talking about business experiences. Wallace explains the problems of doing business in West Africa from culture, language to infrastructure. I found the section about the World Bank forcing Ghana’s government to sell off its state owned business to obtain a loan and that effect on the chocolate business most interesting. I found the global business information captivating. I also found the section about how to determine the quality of chocolate fascinating. After reading this book I wanted to go out and try a Obroni chocolate bar.

The book was almost seven hours. Tom Parks did an excellent job narrating the book. Tom Parks got his start narrating audiobooks thirty years ago narrating for the Kansas Audio Reader Network. He has been nominated for an Audie. I have listened to Parks over the years and have enjoyed his pleasant voice and reading style.

6 people found this helpful

Very informative and educational.

Will definitely change my way I see the world and what it means to work hard and be patient. This has given a history of Ghana from a different perspective.