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IT'S ALL IN THE NAME

What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot in this particular instance. ‘Tony’ after it’s founder, Dutch journalist Teun van de Keuken, and ‘Chocolonely’ as he felt in the minority when it comes to eradicating slavery like most other small independent or luxury chocolate makers in the face of big chocolate producers who dominate the industry. 15 years on, what started as an exposé on bigger chocolate producers has ended up with a beloved brand that leads by example with 100% slave-free chocolate.

IT'S ALL IN THE SHAPE

There is also more than meets the eye with the shape of these bars. For Tonys Chocolonely it doesn't make sense for it to be divided into chunks of equal size when there is so much inequality in the chocolate industry. Not just that, the base of the bars represents the Equator and the chunks above is the Gulf of Guinea; from left to right you have the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and part of Cameroon where 60% of the worlds cocoa beans are grown.

IT'S ALL IN THE RULES

Their business model of slave-free chocolate relies on five fundamental rules. Firstly, being fully traceable. Lack of transparency makes it awfully easy for big chocolate producers to avoid taking responsibility for the abuses at the start of the chain. As a result, people simply accept inequality that causes this extreme poverty and the status quo is maintained. Secondly, simply paying more ensures these farmers have a liveable income and can run their farms safely. Next up, is empowering these farmers to professionalise their cooperatives giving them the power to structurally change this inherent inequality. Rule number four, is to invest long-term so that these farmers are given income security to invest and recoup. Finally, investment in agricultural training.

IT'S ALL IN THE FACTS

Global warming has a direct impact on the growing of cocoa beans, with failed harvests due to drought and extreme heat. It’s little wonder then that the cooperatives Tony’s Chocolonely work with offer training to minimise the use of pesticides and chemical fertiliser, while deforestation is strictly prohibited. Tony’s Chocolonely also offset their emissions and use uncoated recycled Forest Stewardship Council certified paper in their wrappings.

Help combat social injustice one square at a time with Tony’s Chocolonely…

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