The Scramble for Palms, A comparative historical investigation: two companies sourcing two commodities in two colonies

Abstract

This thesis compares two attempts of vertical integration by two of Unilevers predecessor companies in two different Western colonies. The first case is an attempt to source palm oil in the Belgian Congo by Lever Brothers, the second case the milling of coconut oil in the Netherlands East Indies by Jurgens Vereenigde Fabrieken. The aim of the thesis is to establish how different colonial contexts influenced the succes of these cases and how it influenced the policy of these companies.