Chocolate is a worldwide necessity; it is the all-time comfort snack, perfect to munch on during a movie, and the ultimate romantic gift for Valentine’s Day. However, the reality of chocolate production may be less sweet. Processing cacao is an arduous process that involves child labor to save time and energy that many small farmers don’t have the finances or labor force for. Recently, a chocolate bar company known as Tony’s Chocolonely, founded by Teun van de Keuken, strives to change this dark secret of chocolate.
Chocolate is mainly cultivated in Ivory Coast and Ghana, where much of the world’s cocoa beans are grown. Recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 1.56 million children are recorded to be involved in child labor on cocoa farms to produce chocolate, which puts children at risk of getting injured during factory labor, as they are exposed to sharp objects and heavy loads. Tony’s Chocolonely mission is to make all chocolate completely exploitation-free, choosing to work in Ivory Coast and Ghana to make a direct impact on the situation. By creating strong relationships with cocoa farmers, buying traceable cocoa beans, and paying a higher price to ensure farmers can effectively run their farms, Tony’s Chocolonely is working to reverse the modern labor force that many producers have resorted to.
With every purchase of Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars, consumers can enjoy delicious chocolate while knowing they are supporting a great cause. With the added money, cocoa farmers have worked to install water pumps in their communities, plant new cocoa trees, and fund schools. Tony’s Chocolonely offers a range of chocolates that customers can buy and shapes their pieces in unequal sizes. Tony’s Chocolonely says “it doesn’t make sense for chocolate bars to be divided into chunks of equal sizes when there is so much inequality in the chocolate industry!” (Tony’s Chocolonely). In Tony’s Super Stores across the world, visitors can customize their chocolate and wrapper to the chocolate bar, personalizing the images and words to design their dream chocolate bar wrapper.
Junior Kate Situ shared her opinion of the new chocolate: “I tried the milk chocolate flavor of Tony’s Chocolonely because I got it as a gift, and I really liked the way the pieces were divided so abstractly! However, next time, I would buy the dark chocolate one because I prefer it over milk. I know the brand has many different flavors, so it would be nice to try them all if I got the tasting pack!”
Tony’s Chocolonely is revolutionizing the chocolate industry one chocolate bar at a time. If you’re passionate about supporting Tony’s mission and staying informed about their latest endeavors, follow their newsletter. Chocolate enthusiasts interested in indulging in Tony’s Chocoloney’s delicious treats can check out Target, Walmart, Amazon, or other local retailers.
