Dumped
We have been dumped.. This weekend, for 1 time (due to an error of ours), a number of Tony’s Chocolonely bars are on sale in Aldi. We do not sell to Aldi. But a deal has been made by a 3rd party. We are disappointed. But no worries. We ensure that the cocoa farmer is not the victim of this, not even at this ridiculously low price.
Do you know that feeling? That you do not notice anything and that you are told that you have been dumped ..
Tony’s had this moment last week. We received a message from the Aldi brochure. This weekend you can score a number of Tony's for € 1.89. Huh, with the Aldi, we thought ??? No Tonys are sold there, are they? Nope, we do not sell to the Aldi. How do we end up there? And then it became clear to us. We have been dumped! Au .. chocolate plsssss.
How is this possible? Due to an estimation error of ours .. Stupid stupid stupid .. A while ago we sold 80,000 bars to a customer who is in the loyalty packages and with whom we have been working together for a year and a half. They suggested putting together a package with Tony’s Chocolate & Happy Socks. We were happy with that colorful combination. Maarrrrr what appears…. The loyalty appears to be a long way off, because they have some relationships on the side. Against the agreements, they have resold the bars and that is how they ended up at the Aldi.
You can also think how bad that is. Many chocolate fans will be happy with Tony's on offer and it's only for one weekend. Is right. But we believe that everyone in the chocolate chain has a responsibility to make the chocolate standard 100% slave free. That ranges from cocoa farmer to chocofan and therefore also the stores or parties that sell us. Stores should not stunt prices, because making chocolate and producing cocoa is not free. If the retail price is too low, there is no room left for cocoa farmers and their families to pay a price with which they can earn a living income. We are also picky to whom we sell Tony’s. We believe that stores should take responsibility for the abuses in the chain of their (chocolate) own brands. So we challenge them on their sustainability policy and we believe that they must demand transparency, traceability and sustainable business from chocolate suppliers.
And we are at Tony’s for long-term relationships, good friendships and trust. And with that we have been too naive for this customer. In any case, we will immediately stop the relationship. And we learn from it .. Tis just like in love. And so next weekend for 1 time a number of Tony’s Chocolonely bars in the Aldi offer. And no worries. We ensure that the cocoa farmer is not the victim of this, not even at this ridiculously low price. Are you also dumped or just fancy chocolate? Enjoy it! Tis only for 1 time!