Tony's Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely is a mission-led chocolate company founded in 2005 to help end exploitation in cocoa. It makes chocolate for consumers in multiple markets, while positioning itself as a brand that proves chocolate can be produced differently: with traceable cocoa, higher payments to farmers, and a public commitment to human rights in the supply chain. The company focuses on cocoa from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where most of the world’s cocoa is produced and where child labour, forced labour and deforestation remain major issues. Tony’s combines commercial growth with advocacy, using its own brand and its Tony’s Open Chain initiative to encourage other chocolate companies and retailers to source cocoa according to its model. Core Values Ending exploitation : Tony’s states that its core purpose is to end child labour, forced labour and other forms of exploitation in cocoa. This mission shapes both its sourcing model and its public communications. Transparency and accountability : The company emphasizes full traceability from bean to bar, direct relationships with partner cooperatives and documented supply-chain flows. It presents transparency as essential to taking responsibility for the cocoa it buys. Living income for farmers : Tony’s says farmers must be paid enough to earn a living income, and it uses premiums above the farmgate price to help bridge that gap. It treats fairer pricing as a structural requirement, not a one-off initiative. Long-term collaboration : The company stresses multi-year relationships with cooperatives, farmer training and community-level remediation. It frames lasting change as something that requires sustained commitment rather than short-term projects. Unique Aspects Tony’s Open Chain : Tony’s has turned its sourcing model into a shared platform for other companies, including named mission allies such as Ben & Jerry’s, Jokolade and Huel. This makes its impact model unusually open and replicable for the industry. Mission Lock governance : In June 2023, Tony’s introduced a legal Mission Lock structure with a golden share and independent Mission Guardians to protect its mission and sourcing principles from future changes. The structure is intended to safeguard the company’s purpose regardless of shareholder changes. BeanTracker traceability system : Tony’s uses BeanTracker, a digital logging system built with ChainPoint technology, to track cocoa volumes and movements across the supply chain. The company says this gives all supply-chain actors visibility and accountability. Measured impact at scale : Tony’s reports concrete impact metrics, including 17,740 farmers paid premiums in 2022/23, more than 10,000 metric tons of traceable cocoa beans purchased in that period, and a growing network of mission partners. Its reporting is unusually specific for a consumer chocolate brand. Independent child-labour monitoring : All farms Tony’s sources from are covered by CLMRS, a Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System used to identify, remediate and prevent child labour. Tony’s presents this as a rights-based approach rather than an audit-only model.