Tony’s Chocolonely had an unusual start to life.
It all started when Dutch journalist Teun van de Keuken, or “Tony”, came forward as a “chocolate criminal” in 2003. His crime? Paying for chocolate that used exploitative practices along the cocoa tree value chain. After the trial, he was found not guilty of said crime, but he made it his mission to turn chocolate into a vehicle that can spread awareness about all the things that need to change in the cocoa industry.
And so, in 2005, Tony’s Chocolonely was born—with its bright packaging and punchy messages. Almost 20 years later, little has changed in the spirit of the brand. Loud marketing gimmicks are still key to what it does because it draws people’s attention to pressing issues that are less talked about.
Smart branding on the Goliath industry
Take Tony’s 2021 advent calendar for example. The company deliberately left out chocolate on one of the days to highlight inequality in the cocoa industry.
That attracted a lot attention—and outrage—but ultimately, it achieved its goal of alerting consumers to the heart of the problem, said Tony’s UK and Ireland boss Ben Greensmith Wealth.
“He’s done a tremendous job for us in terms of brand awareness and awareness of the issue,” he said. “That’s why we rely on gimmicks to get attention.”
Tony’s approach may be different for a relatively new, low-profile chocolate maker—but the results speak for themselves. The Dutch company is now a big phenomenon in its country with approx 20% market sharebut also in Great Britain, where it is now the fourth most popular chocolate in Britain after Galaxy, Lindt and Cadbury, according to Nielsen data. In just under five years, Tonys’ UK turnover has reached £40m ($50.5m) and it is the fastest growing confectionery brand in the country. The company is also reaching out to chocolate lovers in the United States, where they now sell in Walmart stores.
Courtesy of Tony’s Chocolonely
Tony’s rapid growth can sometimes seem to overshadow what the brand stands for. But with a combination of clever packaging and bold campaigns, its purpose remains top of mind for consumers. For example, Its chocolates are unequally divided (as opposed to other bars that are divided into symmetrical squares or rectangles) to serve as a constant reminder of the inequality that comes with the procurement of cocoa beans.
“We are a small player. (We) don’t have the influence, the buying power of these big chocolate companies,” Greensmith said.
Cost challenges
Tony’s has set itself apart with cheeky marketing gimmicks, but it still faces the same problems as the rest of the chocolate industry.
The cocoa industry has been affected by both poor harvests and crop growth claim simultaneously. As a result, chocolate prices soared as manufacturers passed on higher raw material costs on consumers— Tony’s was not spared either. The chocolate maker has raised prices by 7% across Europe (but not yet in the UK — it’s unclear why), but Greensmith admits it’s been a challenge to make sure it gets through to farmers.
“The way cocoa is traded … all the money is made by the companies in the middle and the farmers don’t see any of it,” said Tony’s UK boss. “As in any business, we have to make a profit and do the right thing.”
Another challenge, unique to Tony’s, was the result of his bold marketing. As part of its “Sweet solution” campaign first launched in 2021, the company unveiled a range of chocolate wrappers similar to those of other recognizable major chocolate companies to raise awareness of child labor in the cocoa supply chain. This move very quickly provoked a reaction from the companies that were implicitly imitated, which ultimately resulted in the removal of the bars from UK supermarkets.
But last month again, Tony found himself in Mondelez sight in Germany and Austria for imitating their packaging in one of its advertising campaigns. The Dutch company is appealing the ban, but says it stands by the cause it wanted to draw attention to.
“We have to show that we can do all these things and make a profit because we have to show these big chocolate companies that you can have a commercially viable proposition, make money, do the right thing and grow a really successful chocolate company,” Greensmith explained.
In its own way, despite its setbacks, Tony’s work has helped raise awareness of the problem of exploitation in the UK cocoa industry from 10% to 40% in five years, market research firm IPSOS found.
Tony’s spends about 7% of its revenue on impact-related costs, including paying a higher cocoa price to help farmers earn a living to keep their farms going. That’s why, Greensmith insists, Tony’s isn’t like your average chocolatier.
“We are not a chocolate company, we say that we are an influential company that produces chocolate. So, impact comes first,” he said. “That’s why we exist.”
