Tony's Chocolonely facts for kids
Tony's Chocolonely milk chocolate bar
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| Besloten vennootschap | |
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Founded | Amsterdam, Netherlands 29 November 2005 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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Key people
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Henk Jan Beltman (CEO, shareholder) Teun van de Keuken (Founder) |
| Products | Chocolate bars |
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Tony's Chocolonely, often just called Tony's, is a Dutch chocolate company that started in 2005. It was created by a journalist named Teun van de Keuken. He started the company to protest against the use of child labor and slavery in the chocolate industry.
The company is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is famous for speaking out about problems in the cocoa industry. By 2018, it had become one of the most popular chocolate brands in the Netherlands.
Contents
How Tony's Chocolonely Began
In 2003, a journalist named Teun van de Keuken was working on his TV show. He found out that many big chocolate companies were using cocoa beans picked by children and enslaved workers. He was shocked and wanted to expose the problem.
For three years, Teun tried to get the industry to change, but nothing happened. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and make his own chocolate bars. He wanted to show that it was possible to make chocolate without unfair labor.
He named his brand "Tony's Chocolonely." "Tony" is the English version of his name, Teun. "Chocolonely" was because he felt like he was the only person in the chocolate world who cared about ending slavery. His first batch of 20,000 chocolate bars sold out in just two days!
Growing and Making a Difference
In 2007, a court in Amsterdam agreed that Tony's was making its chocolate without using enslaved workers. As the company grew, it added new flavors. When they added a hazelnut bar in 2010, they learned that children were working on the farms where they got their hazelnuts. They immediately switched to a different hazelnut supplier to avoid this.
By 2011, Henk Jan Beltman became the main owner and moved the company to a new office in Amsterdam. Since 2016, the company has been able to trace all of its cocoa, meaning they know exactly which farms it comes from. This helps them make sure the farmers are treated fairly.
Going Global
In 2015, Tony's started selling its chocolate in the United States. They opened an office in Portland, Oregon, and later moved it to New York, New York. By 2018, Tony's was sold in many countries, including Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, it became more popular than giant companies like Mars and Nestlé.
In 2019, Tony's launched a project called "Tony's Open Chain." This project invites other chocolate makers to join them in making sure their cocoa is sourced fairly and is "100% slave free." Famous brands like Ben & Jerry’s, ALDI, and Feastables (from YouTuber MrBeast) have joined the Open Chain.
Recent Challenges
In 2021, an organization called Slave Free Chocolate removed Tony's from its list of ethical chocolate companies. This was not because Tony's used child labor. It was because they work with a large chocolate producer, Barry Callebaut, which has had child labor problems in its own supply chain. Tony's explained that they work with large companies to show them it's possible to make chocolate differently and to change the industry from the inside.
In 2024, Tony's launched a campaign in Germany and Austria to raise awareness about child labor. They sold bars with wrappers that looked like other famous brands, like Milka. The company that makes Milka, Mondelez International, sued them. A court in Germany banned Tony's from selling chocolate using the color purple.
What Makes Tony's Chocolate Special?
The most famous thing about a Tony's chocolate bar is that it's not divided into even squares. The pieces are all different sizes. This is a symbol of how unfairly money and profits are shared in the chocolate industry.
Products and Flavors
Tony's sells different products in different countries. Most places have:
- Large bars (180 grams)
- Small bars (50 grams)
- Tiny Tony's (9 grams) for a small treat
- Special holiday items, like chocolate Easter eggs
In the United States, some of the available flavors include:
- Milk Chocolate
- Extra Dark Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt
- Dark Almond Sea Salt
- Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee
- White Raspberry Popping Candy
Every year, Tony's releases three new limited-edition flavors. The most popular one often becomes a permanent part of their collection.
Awards and Recognition
Tony's Chocolonely has won several awards for its work.
- In 2020, it was named the most sustainable brand in the Netherlands for the third time. This award is based on what shoppers think about the brand's efforts.
- In 2022, the Thomson Reuters Foundation gave Tony's the Stop Slavery Award. This award honors companies that work hard to remove slavery and child labor from their businesses.
- In 2023, Tony's was ranked second on the Chocolate Scorecard. This report grades chocolate companies on how they treat people and the environment.
See also
