Which countries supply Fair Trade cacao to Tony’s Chocolonely?
The cocoa beans used to process our chocolate come from certified Fair Trade cooperatives in West Africa, mainly the Ivory Coast and Ghana, a region accounting for most of the world’s cocoa supply.

How do you source your cocoa beans, and how do you insure their origin?
We don’t directly source cocoa beans (although, we are investigating ways to buy beans direct from West African farmer cooperatives in the near future). Instead, we purchase cocoa mass ─ the result of cocoa bean processing ─  produced from cocoa beans certified by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO), an international group working to insure fair prices to farmers in developing regions. We support the ongoing efforts of FLO not only by paying a yearly fee, but also by proudly displaying their Fair Trade logo on our products.

Fair Trade, although a good start,  is just one step in the right direction. To further support our mission ─ 100% slavery-free chocolate ─  we launched our Tony’s in Africa Project in 2009 as a way to better insure fair prices to West African cocoa farmers.

Do other chocolate companies produce slavery-free chocolate?
We think we’re probably the first company to take on chocolate slavery. Our main goal is to change the chocolate industry, and we hope we have inspired other chocolate companies to follow us  “on the way to 100% slavery-free chocolate”. Sure, there are parts of the world where cocoa is being grown without slavery. However, most of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa,  a region notorious for chocolate slavery. Our goal is to send a clear message to the multinational chocolate companies, that source most of their cocoa from the Ivory Coast and Ghana, that chocolate slavery has to end.

White chocolate does not contain cocoa. Does that mean it is slavery-free?
Ah, so many white chocolate lovers out there. So, first we have to answer that common question: Is white chocolate really chocolate? The answer depends on your definition of chocolate. White chocolate contains no cocoa mass, so technically, no, it’s not really chocolate. However, white chocolate does contain lots of cocoa butter, a by-product of the cocoa bean. Our conclusion ─ it’s always best to look for the Fair Trade logo on the wrapper. Even though Fair Trade is not an absolute guarantee that chocolate is slavery-free, it is an important step “on the way to slavery-free chocolate”.

What do cocoa farmers in West Africa think of the Tony’s initiative?
Of course there are thousands of cocoa farmers in West Africa, and, sadly, we don’t think most know about our initiative. In our travels to the Ivory Coast and Ghana, though, the farmers we have met are not only excited about our intiative, but have expressed a desire to improve their farming techniques and learn business management skills. In 2009 we launched the Tony’s in Africa Project in support of better prices to cocoa farmers for their crops in the hopes that better paid farmers will be less vulnerable to the threat of cocoa slavery.

Do children work on cocoa bean farms supported by Fair Trade?
No, children are prohibited from working for farmers who are members of the Fair Trade cooperative.

How much does the average cocoa farmer earn in a day?
Farmers are not paid by the day, but instead for their entire harvest. In the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where the government sets minimum cocoa bean prices, a farmer receives roughly $36 per pound of cocoa beans. Do all cocoa bean farmers receive this price? Certainly, the better organized they are, the better their ability to negotiate a fair price. But, even at that price it is hard for the average cocoa bean farmer to earn a living wage.

Most farmers work small swaths of land ─ roughly two to eight acres ─ harvesting an average of only 900 pounds of cocoa beans per acre. In other words, they are earning a mere $325 per acre, per year. Herein lies the problem. The cocoa bean farmer, on average supporting a family of six, most of whom work on the farm, is making as little as $2 per day.

Where do your hazelnuts come from? Are they slavery-free?
There are no certified slavery-free or Fair Trade hazelnuts available on the market so we import our hazelnuts from two farms in The Netherlands, mainly grown without artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

Is Tony’s Chocolonely certified organic?
Our mission ─ to produce 100% slavery-free chocolate ─ compels us to source our cocoa beans from the two countries most vulnerable to chocolate slavery,  the Ivory Coast and Ghana.  Our chocolate is Fair Trade certified, but, while organic cocoa certification is not yet prevalent in  West Africa, we don’t currently produce certified organic chocolate. Of course, sustainable agriculture is an inherent part of a healthy cocoa-growing economy. Naturally, as organic cocoa from the Ivory Coast and Ghana becomes a reality, Tony’s will be ready!

Can cocoa bean shells be used to produce renewable energy?
Yes, cocoa bean shells can be burned to produce electricity and are designated in some U.S. states, and other countries, as a biomass fuel source. Substituting cocoa bean shells for traditional fossil fuels can potentially lower power plant carbon emissions. We are also aware of current research taking place in Ghana into value-added options for cocoa farming waste by-product.

Where does Tony’s make their chocolate?
The production of Tony’s chocolate is a partnership between Dutch master cocoa processors, and their Belgian chocolatier counterparts. Our Fair Trade beans are processed into cocoa mass and cocoa butter in the Netherlands, and crafted into delicious Tony’s chocolate bars and other chocolate products in Belgium.

Is Tony’s Chocolonely kosher?
Our Tony’s bars and other chocolate products are not currently certified kosher.

How can I learn more about the Tony’s Chocolonely story?
You can check out the Tony’s Chocolonely Trailer on YouTube…here’s the link.

The Tony’s chocolate bar wrappers ─ in primary blue and red ─ really stand out. How did you choose these colors?
That’s a funny story, and one that harkens back to our Dutch roots. In the Netherlands, a chocolate-adoring country where it’s not unusual to eat a chocolate sandwich for breakfast, custom dictates that a blue wrapper indicates milk chocolate, whereas a red wrapper indicates dark chocolate. Of course at Tony’s, a lot of what we do, we do a little bit differently. So, breaking from tradition, we thought why not switch the wrappers ─ marketing milk chocolate in red and dark chocolate in blue.

To some our playful decision defied all common wisdom and tradition, but it also defined who we are…no ordinary chocolate company! Oh, and to avoid confusion, we did eventually add the word milk to our red wrapper, and 72% to our blue wrapper. Even when we are having a little bit of fun, our Tony’s fans still come first.
We recently introduced our milk chocolate with hazelnut bar,  in a bright green wrapper , and hope you  enjoy it as much our milk and dark chocolate bars!

What is the difference between Fairtrade and slave-free chocolate?
The Max Havelaar / Fairtrade hallmark is symbolic of the process that seeks to offer a fair price to farmers for their products. Slave-free, in contrast, is not a hallmark, but is an effort aimed at sourcing ingredients only from producers who guarantee there is no forced labor, child trafficking or labor exploitation of any kind involved in their production processes. On a positive note, Tony’s Chocolonely has increased awareness of Fairtrade, but we remain critical. It seems too little has been done to improve the plight of the West African cocoa farmer. That’s why our research led to the inception of the Tony’s in Africa project in 2009. In other words, we want to go beyond Fairtrade by helping to enact longer term solutions for West African farmers involved in the cocoa trade. Our goal is to seek fairer distribution of money paid for cocoa so that the children of the farmers harvesting the cocoa go to school and so that slavery gets put in the past where it belongs.

In which countries is Tony’s Chocolonley sold?
In the Netherland, including at many Albert Heijn locations, in Belgium and at Albert Heijn locations on the island of Curacao.

In which country is modern-day slavery most prevalent?
In Burkino Faso and in Mali, where children are still trafficked to work on cocoa plantations, mainly in Ivory Coast.

Tell me more about child labor in the cocoa industry?
The cocoa industry “employs” more than 284,000 children, who mainly work on cocoa farms (according to 2010 figures, approximately 200,000 of these children work on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast). Family farming – children helping their parents cultivate agricultural products and contribute to the family income – is a deeply rooted tradition in West Africa. In its fight against child labor abuses, Tony’s Chocolonely recognizes that family and cultural traditions can be protected while simultaneously improving the circumstances and conditions under which children work.