Friends, there are a few honest truths in this life, and frankly our love of chocolate is one of them – we even have two chocolate blends, chocolate flake and chocolate mint! If that’s isn’t dedication we don’t know what is.
While we’re partial to a cheeky chocolatey brew, every now and then we’re persuaded to have a bar of the real thing to ourselves (go on, twist our arm!) – and in those times of need, who better to turn to than our friends, Tony’s Chocolonely?!
who are they?
The Tony’s origin story sounds like it’s right out of a TV drama (one that we’d enjoy devouring a bar while watching…)
Tony – or to call him by his actual Dutch name, Teun – is a Dutch journalist who began looking into the inequality in the cocoa supply chain as part of a watchdog TV show in 2003. Shocked by what he found – child slavery, rife throughout the industry - he decided to use the opportunity to make the change.
Talks with Big Cocoa companies fell on deaf ears, so Teun did the next logical thing – he ate some chocolate, and promptly turned himself in to the police for being complicit in slavery. When prosecutors wouldn’t take him seriously, he found 4 boys who had worked as slaves in the Ivory Coast to provide evidence against himself and 2000+ chocolate consumers who joined his campaign!
Fast forward to 2007 – a judge finally rules on the case, deciding Teun wins a moral victory against himself as a criminal, but the court can’t prosecute as it would have to then prosecute every person who eats chocolate. Tony’s marches on, fighting the fight to create a 100% slave free cocoa industry.
what’s special about it?
From the bio it’s clear – the Tony’s brand is all about ethically sourced cocoa, which means you can enjoy every bite knowing you’ve made a difference in the world.
In November 2005, when Teun couldn’t get Big Cocoa to listen, he made 5,000 Fairtrade, slavery-free chocolate bars – trouble is, it was so good there was immediately demand for more! 13,000 were sold, and so Tony’s Chocolonely was born. The back and forth with Big Cocoa companies even inspired the name - Choco-"lonely", as they seemingly were the only ones who cared about being the change they wanted to see!
Tony’s go directly to the cocoa farmers, paying them a living wage, plus an additional “Tony’s premium” on top to make sure they farms are properly funded and don’t have to resort to child slavery.
The bars are unevenly divided (to reflect the inequality in the cocoa industry) and the wrappers choc-full (if you'll pardon the pun) of information and the difference that's being made. There's a guilt free treat if ever we heard of one!
how do I get involved?
As a fellow B-Corp company, we couldn't help but be inspired by their work and what they stand for - so of course we had to collaborate!
After many, many hours of taste testing (strictly for business not pleasure, of course…), we’ve narrowed our selection down to bring you some of our favourites.
There's sure to be a bar for everyone to enjoy, so why not add a sweet treat to your next tea top up?! You can find them here - Tony's Chocolonely
want to meet more of our friends?
Why not check out our other guests - Paddy & Scott's
