10 years of Tony's blog #2: 100% slave-free chocolate: dream or reality?

Our dream is a 100% slave-free chocolate industry. But does that make us a group of dreamers? No. We are convinced that this is feasible.

We have a roadmap to 100% slave-free chocolate, with three pillars that reflect our long-term goals and our concrete activities. Step by step. Year after year.

1. Tony's raises awareness
We want to make all chocolate lovers aware of the inequality in the cocoa world. If consumers and retailers make demands and actively ask for fair trade chocolate, chocolate makers are more likely to take their responsibility to make that happen.

2. Tony's sets the example
We set the example and show that you can also make commercially successful chocolate without slavery and exploitation. We make chocolate from traceable cocoa mass, invest in long-term cooperation with cocoa farmers, we make better price agreements, we train them to improve their harvest yields and their organization.

3. Leading by example
We inspire others to take action and we are actively looking for partners who want to follow our model. We increase the pressure on the industry by entering into dialogue with politicians, NGOs and science to persuade them to realize our vision together.

So we want followers. Because the chance that we will achieve 100% market share worldwide will probably remain a dream. It only works together. That is why our model must be scalable and therefore also applicable for the large volumes of the chocolate giants.

What does that mean? Well, we deliberately only work in Ghana and Ivory Coast, because that is where all the chocolate giants buy their cocoa. But that is also where the social problems, such as child labor, are greatest. This means that we want to make an impact in the areas where it may be most difficult to make a difference. Every bar we make contains cocoa beans from areas in Ghana and Ivory Coast where there was civil war until 4 years ago, or where farmers have never been able to stand up for themselves. Areas that suffer from deforestation and where there are no good schools. If we can change the way business is done there, then our dream can be realized!

With high ambitions come high expectations. And they often turn out to be broader than just our mission. We are a social company and work with respect for people and the environment, for example with our uncoated wrappers (because who likes ironing?). But our focus is to make an impact in West Africa and a 100% slave-free chocolate industry..

So are we dreamers? We don't think so ourselves. We dare to think big and without limitations and therefore achieve a lot. With our focus and roadmap, we are convinced of our dream and determined to realize it.