DGrant Gibson

How often do things just seem to make sense, something that could happen in the future, with all the ingredients for a possibility, the lining up of what could be the ultimate synchronicity for a successful business plan? I believe I may have found one such situation, a match in the making, a possibility…
Anthony Ward, a multi-millionaire who lives in the UK, founded a hedge fund named Armajaro Holdings which recently purchased 241,000 tons of cocoa beans for the grand amount of £658 million. It is suggested by people in the know that the mountain of beans will be held in warehouses in London, Liverpool, Humberside and Holland.
The move was the largest single cocoa purchase for 14 years and came as bean prices rose to the highest level since 1977 – £2,732 per ton.
The purchase has surprised commodity dealers because, in a highly unusual move, Mr Ward’s firm has actually taken delivery of the beans. In 98% of transactions, traders exchange contracts which give them the option to buy and sell cocoa at various prices and at different times without ever taking possession of the stock.
My blog on June 25th about Felicity Loudon, heiress to the Cadbury fortune who lives in the UK as well, and her dismay about the sale of the Cadbury Chocolate Company to interests in the USA, sent up flags of patriotism, motivation and possibilities of the strangest strategic kind.
Would these two highly intelligent business people know something about strategic vertical branding possibilities, a union of two great minds to partner with each other. If I was the Willy Wonka in the world of chocolate, a multi-billion dollar industry player of the sweetest kind, I would surely and unquestionably know all the major players, power moves, changes and ensuing possibilities at all times available. Would these two folks who live in the same country, in the same industry, with similar motivations, be planning something? Something beyond the recent sale to foreign ownership, the once powerful chocolate merchant, Cadbury Chocolates, away from the UK, to bring back one of a sweet financial kind?
Anthony Ward now owns enough beans to manufacture 5.3 billion quarter-pound chocolate bars. It is understood 100,000 tons of the cocoa will go to the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer, Swiss-based Barry Callebaut. Could he be looking at another candidate to sell all or a portion of the beans to? Felicity Loudon has the wealth and motivation to transform even a portion of those beans to chocolate bars in every store in the UK and beyond. Anyone for a Felicitys Dark Chocolate Bar?
What do you think?
Let’s wait and see what happens next…
Until the next Weblog,
GG

Read Anthony Wards cocoa bean Swiss sale HERE

Read more about Anthony Ward and his chocolate purchase HERE