As you may recall, we visited Ghana and Ivory Coast earlier this year in search of the best cocoa beans for our chocolate-making! There we met the amiable farmers of the ABOCFA, a small farming cooperative based in the tiny town of Aponoapa. Now, try saying Aponoapa five times in a row, quickly! So why are we bringing all this up again? Well, as much as we would like to give you the impression that all cocoa farmers are laughing through life, the true story is quite to the contrary. We think it is only fair to share with you the story of the darker side of chocolate…and, of course, in keeping with Tony’s style, this story has a happy ending.

The 350 ABOCFA farmers we have shaken hands with (well, not all of them of course), began the cultivation of organic cocoa beans in 2008. They quickly garnered the attention of chocolate giant Cadbury, who were only too happy to use ABOCFA beans in their Green & Black bars, but only if the cooperative first obtained Fairtrade certification. With spirits flying high, and with the prospect of a healthy bonus, the ABOCFA farmers trained for three years to receive their Fairtrade certification. Last year, with their certification completed, they were ready to go! The beans cultivated by ABOCFA farmers were now not only organic, but Fairtrade, too! Soon, though, it became obvious that the farmers were not going to be rewarded for all their hard work and preparation. Cadbury, now taken over by the even larger Kraft Foods, relinquished their relationship with ABOCFA. The farmers were now left to sit on a whole heap of organic, Fairtrade cocoa beans. Not fair, right?! This, you see, is exactly why, in 2005, we started making “honest” chocolate.

We know you what you must be thinking. How can this story possibly end on a positive note? Well, here’s how…

Tony’s thinks it is only normal to reward hard work by fulfilling agreements. That’s why, when we decided to buy cocoa beans from ABOCFA, we signed a letter of intention, on-the-spot!  The letter dictates that we intend to buy organic, Fairtrade beans from the ABOCFA over the next five years and at a premium price. The result: The ABOCFA farmers finally receive their long-awaited bonus, and, in return, we receive quality organic and Fairtrade cocoa beans for making our chocolate. Doesn’t this sound like a really good deal?

Recently, the first 30,000 kilos of cocoa beans arrived by way of the Port of Amsterdam. This is a whole lot cocoa, so we devised a delicious way to use all these organic, Fairtrade beans in a new Tony’s product! Soon you can taste the fact that hard work does pay off as far as Tony’s is concerned. So keep an eye on the supermarket shelf, and make a bit of room on your refrigerator shelf…