About the book

The first book to penetrate the secret and cut-throat world of chocolate. After ten years of research, Washington Post reporter Joel Glenn Brenner takes us inside a world as mysterious as Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, where industrial spies jockey for inside information as paranoid executives fight an all-out war for market share. Forrest Mars was one of the most private and successful entrepreneurs in America. An autocrat, with brilliant - if sometimes unconventional - management strategies, he built one of the world's most innovative companies - a $10 billion a year empire, shrouded in secrecy. The day after he died of natural causes a Mars spokesperson refused even to admit that the founder had worked for the firm. Milton Hershey was a dreamer who wanted to create not just a company but an industrial paradise. After making an immense fortune his company is now controlled by a charitable trust whose profits fund the wealthiest orphanage in the world. Never before has so much been revealed about the chocolate industry. This authoritative and eye-opening account is the best type of business narrative - a revealing, engrossing and unforgettable read. *An engrossing portrait of two of the world's wealthiest companies, both founded by men dedicated to their very different, though equally eccentric, personal visions. A fascinating insight into what began as a fraternity of family-owned businesses and has now grown into a multi-billion dollar industry dominated by cut-throat wheeler-dealing. Joel Glenn Brenner's Mars cover story for Washington Post Magazine won three prizes.