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Tony’s tried-and-true playbook for ending exploitation in cocoa.

At Tony’s, we exist to end exploitation in cocoa. Not just in our own chocolate, but in all chocolate worldwide. So, we developed Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles to establish more equal business relationships with our suppliers in West Africa. 

Our rules for change: we only use 100% traceable cocoa beans, we always pay a higher price, we invest in strong farmers, we nurture long-term relationships and we stay committed to quality and productivity. But no principle is principal.. all 5 must be applied together to ensure lasting change. No cherry picking!

The strategy starts with us, but we want to see change across the industry as a whole. That’s why we share Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles via Tony’s Open Chain, our collaborative initiative for change – so chocolate players big and small can join us in ending exploitation in cocoa. 

Tracing (cocoa) beans

We never buy beans from anonymous heaps. Because there’s a good chance those beans were farmed by people forced into child labour or even forced labour. Instead, we trade directly with cocoa farmers and partner cooperatives. So we know exactly who’s producing our beans, on what farms and exactly under which social and environmental circumstances. But things don’t stop with the stats in our BeanTracker! From there, we identify issues and take steps to remediate them (via the CLMRS). 

Supporting strong farmers

The name of the game here is professionalisation. For partner cooperatives, that means making sure cocoa farming is safe and sustainable. That way farmers can stand strong together and be better equipped to structurally change and correct inequality in the value chain.

Going for the long-term

We work with farmers and partner cooperatives for at least 5 years. That way they know they’ll receive the living income premium for their harvest for the next few years. This longer commitment provides them with income stability, enabling them to make informed decisions about future investments and recovering their expenses. 

Paying a higher price

If labour’s so valuable, then a product’s price should reflect that, right? We definitely think so. That’s why we bridge the gap between the farmgate price (the minimum price that farmers receive for their cocoa) and the Living Income Reference Price, which is the price farmers need to be paid to enable them to earn a living income and run healthy farms.

We do this by paying 2 premiums: the Fairtrade premium and the living income premium. This is in line with our Living Income Model. 

Improving quality + productivity

When it comes to cocoa cultivation, it is vital to invest in agricultural knowledge and skills in collaboration with partner cooperatives. Why? Because developing expertise in farming practices leads to improved quality and increased cocoa yields from farms, which enables farmers to generate additional income and helps prevent deforestation.

Child labour, forced labour and deforestation are the chocolate industry’s bitter truth. Our rules for change are the sweet solution. And together, we’ll end exploitation in cocoa. Bar by bar. Bite by bite.