Amsterdam is known for a number of things: tulips, cheese, coffee shops, prostitution … but chocolate?

People line up for all sorts of things—to buy tickets, to grab a bite to eat, or even to be among the first to get a new product when it comes out. In Amsterdam, people line up to create their own custom chocolate. Is all the hype justified?

Tony's was founded by a journalist.

Tony’s Chocoloney has an unusual origin story. Investigative reporter Teun (Tony) van de Keuken was working on a story about slavery in the chocolate industry. During his research, he discovered that the majority of supermarket chocolate was harvested by slaves. Worse still: by child slaves. He couldn’t ignore this fact; he had to take active steps to do something about it. Outraged that his own consumption of chocolate made him part of the problem, he filed a complaint against himself. When that came to nothing, he quit his job on the spot. In an effort to bring about change, Tony produced the first 5,000 Fairtrade chocolate bars on November 29, 2005: that was the birth of Tony’s Chocolonely.

Inequality is also evident on the chocolate bar.

When you open the package of chocolate, you’re initially surprised: It’s neither square nor divided into rectangular pieces. There’s actually an almost philosophical idea behind this: Why should chocolate be divided into uniform pieces when there is so much inequality in the world? Nevertheless, the pieces aren’t divided arbitrarily: The bottom edge of the bar symbolizes the West African coast. The pieces above it represent, in their shape, the Gulf of Guinea and, among others, the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria. 

Tony’s Chocolonely opens at 10:00 a.m., and if you’re not there by 9:30, you’ll be waiting in line for a long time. Inside the store, you can watch a short video explaining the history and mission behind the chocolate. And that’s a good idea, as a quick survey of the reasons for visiting among those waiting revealed: Eliza from Vancouver was in line because Tony’s is getting a lot of buzz on Instagram and TikTok, while Juan from Argentina and Ella from England were waiting more because of the great taste. Very few of those waiting knew exactly what message the brand stands for. 

A Difficult Start for the New Chocolate Brand

The company’s entry into the chocolate industry got off to a somewhat rocky start. In 2007, the Dutch importer Belissimo sued the company over its use of the term “slave-free.” Van de Keuken proved—through the Max Havelaar Fair Trade label and its own investigations in Africa—that no slave labor was involved in the production of its chocolate. The lawsuit was dismissed. Three years later, the Dutch TV show “Een Vandaag” reported that children had been helping with the hazelnut harvest in Turkey. As a result, the chocolate manufacturer switched to a new supplier. 

The highlight of the store in Amsterdam—and the reason for the long line—is that you can create your own chocolate blend, complete with custom packaging and a personalized message. Your custom chocolate is ready for pickup in two hours. This popular souvenir is automatically divided into two halves—after all, shared joy is double the joy.

The Dutch chocolate has been removed from the “Slave Free Chocolates” list.

However, Tony’s Chocolonely’s joy likely came to an end when the company was removed from the list compiled by the U.S. organization“Slave Free Chocolates”in 2021. According to a report by RTL, the company has been working with Barry Callebaut for years. Callebaut is one of the world’s largest cocoa processors and acknowledges that child labor exists in its supply chain.

Henk Jan Beltman, CEO of Tony’s Chocolonely, does not want to end the partnership, however. “If we make the bars ourselves, large chocolate companies might say it was impossible to operate on a large scale according to our principles.” Beltman, who is also Tony’s largest shareholder, said they “want to encourage the big players in the cocoa industry to change.”

It seems the plan worked out

A successful initiative: With its “Forever Chocolate” project, Barry Callebaut has set a goal of, among other things,eliminating child labor from its supply chain by 2025. 

Despite its controversial partnership with Barry Callebaut, the company won the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s“Stop Slavery Enterprise Award”in 2022. That same year, the company began a partnership with the sportswear manufacturer Adidas, which released not only the “Tenis Superstar Tony’s Chocolonely” sneaker but also an “Adilette” (a flip-flop) featuring the Dutch chocolate maker’s logo in Brazil. 

No More Purple for Tony's

Tony’s Chocolonely is known for its colorful design. However, according to a February 2024 court ruling, the purple packaging is no longer an option in the EU. The U.S. food company Mondelez (known for Milka) has obtained a court order prohibiting the chocolate manufacturer from using the color purple on its packaging and in its advertising due to the risk of confusion.

On its website, Tony’s Chocolonely commented as follows: “Instead of paying expensive lawyers […] we should talk about how every chocolate manufacturer can pay cocoa farmers a price that provides them with a living wage.”

https://de.tonyschocolonely.com/

Sources:

Tony's Chocolate

Newspaper: Trouw, February 6, 2007

RTL article from February 15, 2021 (rtl.nl)

Barry Callebaut "Forever Chocolate" Progress Report

Thomas Reuter Foundation

Adidas Brazil Website: “Tennis Superstar Tony’s Chocolonely”

FAZ, February 24, 2024

Order of the Hamburg Regional Court dated February 22, 2024 (Case No. 315 O 30/24)

Image Copyright: Ingrid Müller