Tony’s Chocolonely now available for purchase throughout the U.S.
Press Release – Portland, Ore. (March 2017) Tony’s Chocolonely, a B-Corp certified chocolate maker that grew to be the largest Dutch chocolate company in less than 10 years, made a big entry into the U.S. with the launch of their chocolate in Portland, Ore. last fall. Today, the colorfully wrapped chocolate bars are available for purchase throughout the U.S. via the company’s website (uswebshop.tonyschocolonely.com) and numerous retailers. The chunky six-ounce bars six are unequally divided to illustrate the inequality in the chocolate industry. Right now, slaves are working on cocoa farms in West Africa, many of them children. Tony’s Chocolonely exists to change that. Their mission is to change the industry by making 100 percent slave-free the norm in chocolate.
Tony’s Chocolonely was founded in 2005 by Dutch journalist Teun van de Keuken (‘Tony’) when he discovered the world’s largest chocolate companies were buying cocoa from plantations that used child slavery. According to recent study by Tulane University, more than 2 million children were found in hazardous working conditions in the cocoa production industry in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. After learning these facts, van de Keuken ate 12 chocolate bars and turned himself in to the police as a ‘chocolate criminal,’ citing that he had purchased an illegally manufactured product. When the trial didn’t result in his conviction, he decided to start a chocolate company, Tony’s Chocolonely, a company dedicated to creating a 100 percent slave-free chocolate industry.
Tony’s Chocolonely shows that chocolate can be made differently. Through direct, long-term relationships with cocoa farmers and other supply chain partners, the company has created a completely transparent and traceable bean-to-bar process. They agree on better prices for the farmers and provide business and agricultural training, to increase productivity on their farms. Furthermore, one percent of Tony’s Chocolonely net revenue is donated to its Chocolonely Foundation, supporting projects to eradicate slavery in the cocoa chain.
“‘We lead by example and want to show other chocolate makers that it is possible to be commercially successful without exploitation and slavery,” said Tony’s Chocolonely Chief Chocolate Officer Henk Jan Beltman. “Our successful launch in Portland was a big step in that direction as we follow our roadmap towards a 100 percent slave-free chocolate industry. The U.S. chocolate market is home to some of the largest chocolate makers in the world. Our role is to inspire both consumers and chocolate companies to take responsibility. The more people choose slave-free and share our story, the sooner 100 percent slave-free becomes the norm in chocolate.”
Tony’s Chocolonely’s unequally divided six-ounce chocolate bars are available on retail shelves and online at uswebshop.tonyschocolonely.com. Current selections include:
- Milk Chocolate (32 percent cocoa)
- Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt (32 percent cocoa)
- Dark Chocolate (70 percent cocoa)
- Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt (51 percent cocoa)
- Dark Chocolate Coffee Crunch (51 percent cocoa)
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Coconut ((51 percent cocoa)
The Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt are also available in smaller 1.8-ounce bars. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the big bars is $4.99 and $1.99 for the small bars. Tony’s Chocolonely hopes U.S. chocolate lovers will share its chocolate and its story helping to make 100 percent slave-free the norm in chocolate.
About Tony’s Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely is an Amsterdam based chocolate company committed to bringing an end to slavery in the chocolate industry. When journalist Teun van Keuken (“Tony”) discovered the world’s largest chocolate companies were buying chocolate from cocoa plantations that used child slavery, he turned himself into the police as a “chocolate criminal” who purchased an illegally manufactured product. Tony’s Chocolonely has since dedicated its efforts to educating people about the inequality in the chocolate industry, as well as creating its own chocolate bar as an example of the reality of slave free chocolate. Employing an industry scalable process, Tony’s works with the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut, to create traceable bean-to-bar offerings. As part of the company’s bean-to-bar concept, Tony’s has built direct, long-term relationships with the farmers who grow its cocoa to solve the underlying causes of modern slavery. As the company continues in its mission to create change, it recently expanded to the US. For more information, please visit: http://www.tonyschocolonely.com/us/.
