Meet our supplier: Tony's Chocolonely

Posted 1 month ago

Chocolate for change

New for 2024, we've brought Tony's Chocolonely chocolate bars to all of our cafés so you can enjoy a sweet treat while supporting a great cause. 

By now, you know that we choose to work with suppliers that share the same values as us. Tony's Chocolonely is no exception. Delicious, sustainable and fighting for change through chocolate, find out more about Tony's mission:

The problem

The chocolate industry has a bittersweet story, with its value and power unequally divided. Millions of farmers work tirelessly to produce cocoa, while a handful of chocolate giants in the middle of the supply chain drive prices down, forcing farmers into poverty which then leads to child and forced labour. 
Tony's Chocolonely's goal is to end this exploitation. 

How? 

By using 100% traceable cocoa, investing in long-term partnerships with farmers, and creating fairer price agreements, farmers can be empowered to earn a living income and improve their productivity. 

Their unequally divided chocolate bar is a powerful symbol of the industry's inequality, reminding everyone that until the cocoa chain is fair, their work is far from done.

a close up of food

Which is why they have their five sourcing principles

  1. Traceable cocoa beans: they purchase directly from their partner cooperatives in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, maintaining 100% transparency and taking 100% responsibility for the beans they source. 
  2. A higher price: bridging the gap between the farmgate price and the Living Income Reference price, 17,740 farmers in the past year were paid these extra premiums. 
  3. Strong farmers: they collaborate with their partners to enhance farming practices and implement sustainability programmes to represent the path towards change in the sector. 
  4. The long-term: working with partner farmers for a minimum of 5 years, farmers know that they'll receive the living income premium for their work, meaning they can invest in new cocoa plants, farming equipment and training. 
  5. Quality and productivity: in cocoa cultivation, it's essential to invest in agricultural knowledge and skills in collaboration with partner cooperatives. Developing this expertise leads to improved quality from farms, enables farmers to generate additional income all while helping prevent deforestation. 

So next time you fancy a sweet treat on campus, head to our cafés to grab a bar of Tony's Chocolonely and do more than just satisfy your sweet tooth - help reshape the future of cocoa farming. 

P.S. Keep an eye out for our Advent Calendar coming to Instagram where you could win a Tony's Chocolonely hamper full of chocolatey goodies! 🍫👀

Contact:

Follow us @ualcatering for more updates.