Tony's Chocolonely announces partnership between Tony's Open Chain and Baronie & Cémoi as second chocolate processor

• Tony’s Open Chain is an initiative by Tony’s Chocolonely that invites chocolate manufacturers to change the sustainability norm in cocoa.
• Tony’s Open Chain is branching out with Baronie & Cémoi to provide a more enabling environment for Mission Allies to join Tony’s Open Chain, by giving them multiple chocolate-processing options.
• More Mission Allies means accelerated change within the industry.
• As a new chocolate processor for Tony’s Open Chain, Baronie & Cémoi will continue to invest in a fully segregated cocoa supply chain.

Amsterdam, 2 February 2023 – Tony’s Open Chain is branching out with Baronie & Cémoi. Tony’s Open Chain is an initiative by Tony’s Chocolonely that invites other chocolate manufacturers to change the sustainability norm in cocoa. Following the agreement signed today, Baronie & Cémoi will become a processing partner for Tony’s Open Chain. By offering multiple chocolate processing options to choose from, Tony’s Open Chain trusts this move will provide a more enabling environment for Mission Allies to join the initiative.

Enabling more Mission Allies to join Tony’s Open Chain will accelerate system-change across the industry – creating more impact for cocoa farmers in West Africa. Tony's Open Chain is a results-driven, future-proof initiative that is laser-focused on cocoa and produces measurable impact via a proven model.

Chief of Impact and Operations at Tony’s Chocolonely, Pascal Baltussen, says about the news: “The partnership with Baronie & Cémoi sends an important signal to the industry as it will spark more brands to join us in changing the sustainability norm in cocoa. Tony’s Open Chain enables brands to address the industry’s most pressing issues – child labor, poverty and deforestation – together we can accelerate system-change”.

The initiative that’s changing the industry, together.

Currently, there is an unfair distribution of value and power in the chocolate industry that drives cocoa farmers into poverty – resulting in illegal labor and exploitation. Tony’s Open Chain seeks to change this by inviting other chocolate manufacturers and cocoa-using brands to become Mission Allies and change the norm in the industry.

By joining Tony’s Open Chain, Mission Allies commit to traceability, paying the living income reference price for cocoa and building long term partnerships with partner cooperatives to support farmers and develop thriving cocoa communities. As a collaborative initiative, Mission Allies compete on chocolate but collaborate on cocoa. Together, they change the norm in the cocoa industry.

Tony’s Open Chain works in West Africa to drive impact together with partner cooperatives. At the same time, Tony’s Open Chain works to create an enabling environment for brands to join their initiative. Mission Allies that have already committed to sourcing cocoa via Tony's Open Chain are Albert Heijn, ALDI, Jokolade, Vly Foods, The Flower Farm, PLUS, KoRo Source and Ben & Jerry's.

Baronie & Cémoi will continue to invest in a fully segregated cocoa supply chain

As a new chocolate processor for Tony’s Open Chain, Baronie & Cémoi will continue to invest in a fully segregated cocoa supply chain, in order to be able to handle and process the segregated Tony’s Open Chain cocoa beans, cocoa mass and cocoa butter. As a “chain connector”, they are linking their cocoa production facility in Côte d'Ivoire and their cocoa-processing facility in Bourbourg (France) to Tony's Open Chain, in order to produce Tony’s Open Chain liquid chocolate for Mission Allies.

Jean-Marie van Logtestijn (member of the Board of Sweet Products NV) about this news: “We are continuously driven by our commitments and empowered by our ambition to further expand our role as partners in chocolate. By becoming a processor for Tony’s Open Chain, our presence and expertise in the world’s leading cocoa origin and our production facilities will enable & support the Mission Allies in their growth”.

Tony’s Chocolonely will continue its partnership with Barry Callebaut as the producer for Tony’s chocolate, where the flow of beans has been traceable and segregated since 2012 and traceable butter was introduced in 2016.

NOTES TO EDITOR

About Tony’s Chocolonely ​​​​​​​

Tony’s Chocolonely is an impact company that makes chocolate. Since 2005, Tony’s Chocolonely has dedicated its efforts to raising awareness of and eliminating inequality in the chocolate industry. They aim to lead by example, building direct, long-term relationships with cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, paying them a living income reference price and working together to solve the underlying causes of modern slavery and child labor. They want to inspire the industry as a whole to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate.  

The brand has grown to become one of the market leaders in the Netherlands and its bars are now available almost worldwide. Tony's Chocolonely is a B Corp and Fairtrade-certified.  

About Tony’s Open Chain  

Tony’s Open Chain is an industry initiative launched by Tony’s Chocolonely in 2019. Companies are invited to join Tony's mission to eliminate illegal labor and exploitation in the cocoa supply chain by becoming Mission Allies. In doing so, they commit to adopting Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles and the proven CLMRS. Along with traceability and paying living income reference price, Mission Allies build long term partnerships with partner cooperatives to support farmers and develop thriving cocoa communities. As a collaborative initiative, Mission Allies compete on chocolate but collaborate on cocoa. Together, they change the norm in the cocoa industry.

About Baronie & Cémoi

Baronie & Cémoi are both part of Sweet Products NV, one of the largest European confectionery & chocolate companies with 22 production sites and 4 warehouses located in Europe, the USA and Côte d'Ivoire, for cocoa, chocolate and ice cream products. They are (founding) member of various established, national cocoa sustainability initiatives and proud partner of the Transparence Cacao program, which offers a segregated bean flow since 2015. In 1996, Cémoi opened its own cocoa bean processing factory in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and in 2015, Cémoi was the first cocoa processor to develop a commercial offering specific to the Côte d'Ivoirian market based on locally produced chocolate. Today, they are the fourth largest processor in Côte d'Ivoire.

With full knowledge on the cocoa supply chain, from the cocoa bean right through to the finished product in every form, they stand apart from most other chocolate manufacturers. This control of the supply network and the group’s diverse range of production techniques makes them a unique manufacturer at this scale, capable of guaranteeing complete traceability of their products, meeting the needs of consumers and the food industry as a whole.  

For more information:
press@tonyschocolonely.com