Mar 28, 2024
By Marcia Robbins
EcoPlum Shines a Spotlight on its B Corp Partners: Tony’s Chocolonely
This is part of a continuing blogpost series profiling our sustainability partners.
When there is good chocolate to share you won’t be lonely, unless you’re hiding out to hoard the loot! Tony’s Chocolonely is our latest B Corporation (B Corp) partner, and we think that their products and their values are in very good taste. We’re excited to offer these chocolates to our promotional products clients.
Tony's Chocolonely offers personalized, branded chocolate bars that also spread the message of ethical chocolate consumption--while indulging in the rich and heavenly flavors of premium Belgian chocolate. Customizable wrappers can be tailored for any occasion with special images, logos, messages, slogans—any branding and more! This makes them an ideal choice for corporate gifting. Whether it’s a business milestone reached, a corporate retreat, expressing gratitude, or fostering connections, Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars deliver a sweet message that resonates.
Mission Positive
The sustainably-focused company is both B Corp and Fairtrade certified and sees itself as an impact company that makes chocolate. Tony’s Chocolonely features recyclable packaging, as well as palm-oil free. In an industry rife with human rights exploitation, Tony’s fights for more equality and the elimination of illegal labor. Its mission is to eradicate exploitation in cocoa production, including both adult and child labor practices, multi-dimensional poverty, and environmental practices. The systematic underpayment of cocoa farmers has created the conditions for this exploitation. To establish its beneficial social policies and show their viability to the rest of the chocolate industry, Tony’s buys its cocoa beans only from farmers in West Africa, where over 60% of world production is grown. It works with nine cocoa cooperatives in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
History of a Chocolate Crusader
In 2005, Teun van de Keuken, a Dutch TV journalist, founded Tony’s Chocolonely in the Netherlands when he discovered that big chocolate manufacturers were ignoring the existence of child slavery in the production of cocoa. He couldn’t get them to pay attention so he started his company to fight child labor exploitation from within the industry and lead by example. Teun became the English name Tony and Chocolonely was his response to feeling like he was the only one fighting to eradicate slavery in cocoa production. He became a 100% exploitation free crusader, fighting forced labor exploitation of adults and children.
Accountability and Accomplishments
Tony’s has established accountability for child labor practices across 100% of its supply chain, ensuring beans are sourced from farms whose households are covered by the independent Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMR) created over 20 years ago.
Among Tony’s many other accomplishments are:
• Reducing average child labor rates from 50% to less than 5% at their long-term cooperatives,
• Achieving 100% carbon neutrality, with help from JustDiggit, by offsetting their carbon emissions with the regreening of dry land in Africa, and
• Creating packaging that is 100% recyclable.
Sourcing Principles
The company operates on 5 key sourcing principles:
• Traceable cocoa beans
• Paid premiums over the certified cocoa bean price to enable farmers to earn a living income
• Strong professional farming cooperatives co-developed to benefit all
• Five-year commitments to farmers that stabilize investments and give income security
• Productivity and quality improved by helping farmers collaborate
Tony’s is unique in its ability to directly trace its West African cocoa beans, from sourcing and purchasing directly from its partners, to processing for the creation of cocoa mass and cocoa butter, to production of its chocolate bars. As the company explains, most other chocolate producers do not have the relationships with farmers and cannot provide this level of traceability, even when certified as “sustainable” or “organic.”
As evidence of its success in paying premiums to farmers, Tony’s reported in its latest Fair Report from 2022-2023 that these premiums upped cocoa income in the Ivory Coast by 51%.
Respect for the Environment
Tony’s also encourages the farmers who supply the company with cocoa to respect the environment and implement more eco friendly production methods. Deforestation is strictly prohibited, and climate change considerations are an increasingly important issue impacting farmers. In packaging the chocolate bars, Tony’s uses uncoated, recycled, and FSC-certified paper from sustainably managed forests designated by the Forest Stewardship Council.
“Teaming” for Customized Chocolate Promotions
Here are the five new Tony’s Chocolonely products carried by EcoPlum and available for creative customization as corporate gifts to be savored.
Most Sustainable Dutch Brand and Other Morsels
Tony’s Chocolonely is based in Amsterdam and operates in the U.S. out of its New York City office. In support of its work as an impact company, Tony’s Chocolonely established the Chocolonely Foundation to strengthen the cocoa communities in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The company gives 1% of its annual revenue to support all kinds of community projects and initiatives. In its last Fair Report, the company reported that consumers had voted Tony’s Chocolonely as the most Sustainable Dutch Brand!
Welcome Tony’s Chocolonely to the EcoPlum family!