Tony's goes to the Beurs van Berlage
Tony's Chocolonely goes public to jointly make the cocoa industry slave-free
There were rumors surrounding the 'IPO' of Tony's Chocolonely. And indeed, we are going to the Stock Exchange. The Beurs van Berlage, that is. The photo exhibition 'BITTER Chocolate Stories' (now closed, Tony's FAIR will take place this year and Tony's Brandstore will open in spring 2018. After 400 years, we are bringing the cocoa trade back to the exhibition floor in Amsterdam, but now at together to make chocolate 100% slave-free. But it doesn't stop there. With the establishment of the 'Slave Free Participation Platform', Tony's Chocolonely will indeed use the capital market to make an impact in the cocoa industry dominated by inequality.
With the initial cryptic announcement, Tony's Chocolonely has set the stage for the message that Chief Chocolate Officer Henk Jan Beltman is really about: “It is our responsibility as chocolate makers to be proud of the products we market simply be proud of chocolate that is made from cocoa that does not involve slavery. We can't do that alone. Every chocolate maker MUST feel this responsibility.”
To accelerate this mission, Tony's Chocolonely will actively seek cooperation with Big Choco - the large cocoa multinationals. Tony's Chocolonely is setting up the 'Slave Free Participation Platform' for this purpose. Tony's Chocolonely aims to create an impact beyond the boundaries of its own activities through direct participation in major listed cocoa companies. “We want to discuss the root causes of child slavery and child labor on cocoa plantations. The historically low price that farmers are paid for cocoa is a current theme. For this we appeal to the joint responsibility of the entire industry.”
To increase this awareness, Tony's Chocolonely is taking over the Beurs van Berlage. The start is on October 13 with the exhibition: 'BITTER Chocolate Stories' in the Beurs van Berlage. This exhibition takes you to West Africa. The focus is on compelling photos and personal stories of fifteen children who worked on the cocoa plantations.
On November 23, Tony's Fair, with the theme 'Serious Business', will also take place in the Beurs van Berlage. Tony's Annual FAIR Report 2016/2017 will be presented here and Tony's Chocolonely will explain its ambitious plans around 'Big Choco' and the Slave-Free Participation Platform. In the spring of 2018, Tony's Brandstore will also open its doors here for all chocolate fans.
BITTER Chocolate Stories and Tony's FAIR: Serious Business have now ended. Would you like to enjoy it for a while? Watch the aftermovie and the photos..! And, keep BITTER's website Keep an eye on it, because next year the exhibition will travel.
Media contact:
Tony's Chocolonely
Henk Jan Beltman, CCO
Telephone: +31 20 20 512 55
pers@tonyschocolonely.com
About Tony's Chocolonely (www.tonyschocolonely.com) :
Tony's Chocolonely wants to make chocolate 100% slave-free. Not just their own chocolate, but all chocolate worldwide. So not an average company. But a chocolate company that wants to solve a social problem in the world. Tony's Chocolonely was founded in 2005 by journalists from the Keuringsdienst van Waarde when they discovered that the largest chocolate companies in the world were processing cocoa from plantations where child slaves may have worked. Since then, the Amsterdam social enterprise has grown into the second largest chocolate brand in the Netherlands. Tony's Chocolonely wants to make people aware of the inequality in the chocolate industry, set an example that chocolate making can be done differently and thus inspire the chocolate industry to work together to make 100% slave-free chocolate the norm.