We Accidentally Started A Chocolate Company - Now It Brings In $162 Million A Year
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ค. 2024
- If Tony's Chocolonely founder Teun van de Keuken had his way, he would've ended up behind bars long before he created his popular chocolate company. The crime? Fueling slavery by knowingly purchasing a chocolate bar made with illegal child labor. Nearly 20 years later, Tony's Chocolonely is not only one of the most popular chocolate brands in van de Keuken's native Netherlands, it is known around the world.
Produced by: Beatriz Bajuelos
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Camera: Federico Campanale
Editor: Dennis Donovan
Animator: Gene Kim
Narrator: Nicolas Vega
Senior Production Manager: Kathryn Mavrikakis
Additional Footage: Getty Images, Tony's Chocolonely
Special Thanks: Mickey Todiwala, Marisa Forziati
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#TonysChocolonely
We Accidentally Started A Chocolate Company - Now It Brings In $162 Million A Year
Tony's has been founded in the Netherlands and we've eaten it here for over 10 years. Initially it had very ethical business principles at its' core, but even the original founder said that after losing control/selling the company to other business people, it turned more into greenwashing rather than staying true to the initial goal of eradicating slave labour and child labour form the production chain.
Sounds like the power of money. Can quickly change people with the best of intentions.
I love it. Actually I recently bought some in January. I saw it was on sale at the market. I got some.
Where can you find that statement from the founder?
First time I had it was in Amsterdam about 5 years ago. Tastes good.
The reason it changed it was after the lawsuit from big corporations....
Yeah after they announced they aren't 100% slavery free I completely lost interest. Such a shame because the chocolate tasted good and actually 'felt' good to eat before that. Seems like the biggest marketing gimmick.
Nestle tries to end child labor 😅. Right, Nestle is one of the worst companies out there with total disregard for any human rights.
Not just disregard; wilful destruction.
mmmmmm
I hated how durin California’s severe droughts where residents had all sorts of water restrictions, Nestle kept draining millions of gallons of water in the state for its bottled water production. The state said it had no legal right to the water.
God loves you! John 3:16✝️
Its typical behaviour. Agree with stuff like that to use as "look at this, we are good"
What I have taken from this video is this: Whenever anyone makes an effort to do the right thing, especially in regards to the well-being of other human beings. They find that it is not always easy. There are going to be hurdles and missteps along the way. I will give Tony's Chocoloney credit for at least caring enough to want to do something that gives these Coco Bean farmers a chance to make better wages for the work that they do.
The hurdles are there for a reason. The big corporations don't want ethical brands to be big. We live in a terrible world
But unfortunately the company was sold and now uses slavery. They repeat the origin story but never bring up facts about how well they pay workers for their cocoa. That's because the company has regressed. Capitalism at work
@@ayushisharma162 The hurdles are there because when it comes to choosing between a "Better" brand we decry it isn't perfect. Marketing to people with high ethical standards is very difficult because they also tend to inform themselfs well and are willing to drop you if you do anything they don't like. While your competitors can be as evil as they want because their consumers don't care. This comment section is a good example. So many people who are opposed to buying Tony's simply because they aren't slave free or manufacture in africa. Now maybe these people are prepared to pay 10 euro per bar for that kind of ehtical standard. But a lot of people aren't so Tony's now has a choice. Cater to the extremes and lose the middle. Or cater to the middle and loose the extreme. Either way their consumer base get's smaller.
The problem is chocolate is so labour intensive the workers arnt worth any minimum wage and the children want money so it’s the logical answer as everyone is happier than before so while it is questionable it is actually a good thing compared to without it, the problem is that the people don’t have the skills to make a business or work so if anything there education should be the aim instead of removing people from there jobs as they arnt getting enough
I'm an Australian living in the US temporarily, and I'm not a fan of US made chocolate, US chocolate has a weird texture and harsh taste. I stumbled across Tony's and the taste is more like Australian chocolate - it was love. So glad they sell it here!
So Australian chocolate is trash like Tony's?
@@glorymanheretosleep bug off mate
This is the real secret - US chocolate is nowhere near as nice as European.
Tony’s would do well even if each bar came with a picture of an enslaved child that had been forced to make it
I visited the US and enjoyed the Trader Joes chocolate slabs. Hersheys is the worst tasting chocolate that I have ever tried.
@@glorymanheretosleep American chocolate tastes like vomit, but of course with a fast food diet someone like you wouldnt know the difference between good and bad.
Education, and this video is going to boost their sales. Because people like me now understand the name and product. I knew there was something unusual about it, but did not know what until this video.
They're actually expanding their distribution quite a bit. I've had a few of these and they're great!
I first had the Ben & Jerrys version of Tonys Chocolonely and I loved it, never knew it was this deep in its conscious efforts,. very admirable 👏🏾
and if they sell more the core values will fade away untill only marketing is left
Tony's chocolate tastes like what cadbury's chocolate used to taste like before it was bought by another multinational. Tastes fantastische compared to all the mass market chocolates on the market
marabou better
@@ugo7395 marabou and Cadbury are both owned by the multinational firm mondelez so the taste is the same or diluted. It is not authentic chocolate anymore. I suggest you try toney's and your taste buds will experience something exciting
Ehh, it’s marginally better than hersheys, but the flavors of single origin chocolate are worlds better
@@ugo7395ate that in Sweden all the time, it’s so good. Now that me and my ex broke up, I’ll miss the chocolate 🥹
@@ugo7395 marabou kvalitet suger jämfört med förr
Tony's is great! Tried their chocolate at an airport once and knowing what they do completely converted me to making them my favourite brand.
They are good 😊...
i thought it was funny that the pieces of chocolate in the bar represent the inequalities in the chocolate industry and the piece that had TONYS on it was the biggest lmao
I mean it would have to.
Well the countries some of the pieces resemble aren't too big.... 😅
If the taste of their product is superior to their competitors on the market, I have no problem paying the extra cost for their chocolate.
Their product is not only superior in taste but also in quality. They don't contain any palm oil, no plastic too. The most important and great thing about them is their cocoa is 100% free from child labor and slavery and they pay fair amounts to the farmers instead of bankrupting them like Hershey's and Nestle.
Yeah, I love the taste of their chocolate! And knowing that it's sourced responsibly is a big advantage on top of that 😄
It’s not that great. Tastes average.
I’ve never really understood why people like it so much. I think it tastes like cheap generic chocolate, which is a shame, as I’d like to support their agenda.
@@Cazzakstania You can still support the agenda any time you're about to buy chocolate? Unless your need for certain tasting chocolate is more important. In which case you probably don't care about it much and don't need to even think about it.
I love Tony's! I'm pretty much obsessed with the sea salt flavour. You can tell it's high quality and I love supporting a fellow Dutch business owner
Ugh dutch 😒. .
To compare any chocolate to Hershey's is rediculous... Hershey's is not chocolate.
I first was introduced to this brand perhaps three years ago. Loved it from the start. This doc made it even more compelling when reaching for a bar in the future.
Dont, tony chocolonely is now 85 procent unverified sourced cocoa...... aka slave chocolate......just dont......
We just visited Amsterdam and as a welcome gift, hotel gave my daughter one of these Tonys bars (milk chocolate). What caught my wifes and mine attention immediately was "fun" and bright packaging, which is brilliant idea by their marketing dept. Also, chocolate itself was genuinely very good and now I would buy it in a store for sure over "big brand" guys.
So you support child labor, thats wild😂
@@user-ck3by4zg3e sure thing troll... thats wild
You were very close to Belgium, best to go there for good chocolate.
@@hansmemling2311 have been to Belgium and met plenty of locals who still enjoy Tony's as a cheaper option. Also not everyone want to spend that much on chocolate even though yes it is superior to any supermarket stuff.
this is big brand mate just with new colourful packaging
This was a solid watch - great!
When I see a Chocolate bar made by West Africans with all the profit going to West Africans, I'll believe the goody goody talk.
Exactly. You can't claim you're helping anyone if you don't even have processing and manufacturing in West Africa.
It sounds like they’re paying a lot better than the other manufacturers to me that sounds promising. Why would all of the profits go back to west Africa? Who would take care of the production, advertising, distribution, etc.. Making a chocolate bar company is more than just sourcing the cocoa. I would agree that allocating a small percentage of the company for profit sharing, donations to help out the community is warranted though (not sure if they are already doing this)
Not to mention, as they said in the video they are not profitable at the moment due to scaling
@@mtrajano973 Who would take care of the production, advertising, distribution, etc?
I assume the West Africans. They would figure out how to do what they need to do and outsource the rest to partners of their own choosing. They would be in control of their destiny rather than relying on charity handouts. With this business model, nothing really has changed - the farmers still get only a very minuscule slice of the pie and other people take the giant share while also selling a feel-good story and appearing to be ethical at the expense of the little guy.
i don't believe they're claiming to help west africans. their battle was against child labor lol
You can accidentally start loving chocolate or accidentally find out your good at making it. But to accidentally start a company? No that is not an accident LOL.
Whoops! An LLC just formed!
I think they meant the scale. Don‘t think Tony intended it to be a multinational corporation.
I am a happy Tony's Chocoloney consumer I have made a point to reach out and share the progress. There is a lot of small chocolatiers in SF Bay Area they could easily source from Tony's 5% fund .
My son turned me on to this chocolate years ago! I love it! I buy at Target.
I recently tried this brand and I love it. It's delicious. I will gladly pay more for the best. Thanks for your efforts trying to minimize exploitation.😊
My town has only 3500 people but our Rite Aide has these Candy Bars. Ive tried a couple years ago and like the Bars. Pick one up... the Bars are heavy.. 👍👍👍
Love the chocolate, love the backstory even more!
Great! After I read a book of Artur Grandi, my mind is constantly thinking about his unique formula, which was created by author for healing world’s financial system and all other ways of earning money is not so much exciting me now!)
outstanding work kinda numb such branding myself now
even if a business was totally transparent its highly doubtful such manufacturer would see any success...
and these good men are still on a journey themselves
Imagine what West Africa would look like if they manufactured and processed the majority of their cocoa on the continent instead of exporting their raw ingredients to Europe and the US
Cocoa! How about cocoa, gold, diamonds, lumber, coltan, colbalt, salt, sugar, petroleum!! The list goes on and on..Imagine not knowing you’re in a race war 😒
they are being kept poor for that exact reason
@@krisb-travelYep, if things actually improved for South Africans, they’ll ask for ‘fair wages’ and Western slave companies don’t like that word.
Not possible, chocolate manufacturing requires a massive dairy industry and refrigeration something West African climate is suboptimal for.
They would need way more child slaves if they started manufacturing.
You can never accidentally start a chocolate company you set the intention from the initial idea and got busy. This is brilliant 👏 and the story shows the intent and fabulous strategy 😊 Never knew of this chocolate 🍫 until I discovered this video.
I worked in a Dutch organization a few years ago and whenever we had a meeting, there'd be bars of Tony's Chocolonely on the table. I don't even like chocolate in its solid form but these are really good.
Tonyyyyyyy's! I'm impressed by how much back story they provided, you don't often see that when the US makes a video on something that's not from their own country. But of course this channel does :)
I wonder if they already sell the Easter egg, Easter eggs, and Christmas tree bars over there.
No. The only items we see from Tony’s Chocolate in the bar form. They seem to have lost steam. A few years ago, they were everywhere. Now, not as many places.
EVERYTHING BAR!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤ that is my favorite and Tony made me love milk Chocolate again! I really want that rainbow wall of chocolate in my living room ❤😊 THANK YOU for an amazing product and standing up against child labor 🙌 Bend Oregon
overall the brand has a strong story around them with small details within their product . love it
Why not open manufacturing hubs on those countries to create employment for their youthful population to bring down unregulated immigration
Problem often are educate work force
If they could they would. However when you want to take on the industry that means selling in grocery strores. This mean massive production. The kind of scale you can't achieve when you are starting out. We are talking processing the massive amounts of milk, sugar, Cocoa with advanced machinery running 24/7 on a stable energy grid. It means the infrastructure to move everything, a predictable political climate and regional sability. Those things don't come over night. So you have two options. Produce there on a smaller scale. Every bar you sell will provide more human value. But you will sell less bars because you can't sell to the mass consumer. Or sell to the mass consumer. Start with a sligly better product and as you gain market share use the economy of scale to invest back into your production chain increasing the value you provide the people who make your products. However your value per bar soled will be lower. Tony's is going for the second one. And that means right now the can't yet produce in Africa.
Lack of infrastructure and corruption in government
I knew there was a reason I was drawn to this chocolate beside the funky graphics and yummy taste ... My first sampling was during a visit to Amsterdam (May 2019) I brought several to family and friends in the the US 🙂
I stumbled with this chocolate brand twice, didn't know about the charity part, but I found it really, excellent tasting. The rest it's a very nice plus, makes it taste even better. Glad to see them on the supermarket shelves here in Spain!
I love this chocolate. I tried it in the Netherlands.
You can buy it in the U.S. as well.
Wow, what a great idea to design the chocolate unevenly. I thought it was just to be different, but in fact it is so symbolic! I love that!
I've seen their chocolate bars but never tried & and I have to say its probably down to the price, but now that next time i am at the store, i will give their chocolate a go.
I hope they don’t get bought by a big company. They taste so good.
Never seen or heard of this chocolate until now.
Loves this amazing work .
Love Tony's. Loved it from my first bite, and then loved it more when I learned about their cause.
Took a human trafficking course in law school with the Minister of Human Trafficking. He recommended Tony’s and I immediately went out and bought some bars. Not only is the mission great but the chocolate is delicious. I couldn’t stop eating it and always keep some stocked for a snack!
It's the best around! Worth every penny!
I've never had Tony's but now I want to buy and support!
Ever seen that investigative journalist reportering from the coco fields and basically make them taste the final product and interview their reactions. because, for some reason, they've never tasted it.
That’s because the product we make out of it is not what the originating countries used the beans for.
As someone from the UK I had assumed this was a slightly more ethical, but mainly overpriced chocolate. But having seen this video, and all the work they are doing I fully support the higher prices, and understand that mass produced products can often have a dark secret as to why they are so cheap. They also taste fantastic too - not sure that is anything to do with the ethics of the business but the process they use really does maximise the product. Full credit to the company and the chocolatiers.
Strangly enough everybody in the Netherlands calls this brand Tony Chocolony instead of Chonolonely. The idealistic background story is well known, but i doubt if people know Nestle is the product owner these days. This is quite shocking to hear actually, i didn’t know it myself! Until now i was always willing to pay more to support the idealistic goals, but this is a gamechanger! No way am i going to support Nestle, cause of so much slave labour. This is pure green washing, no more Tony Chocolony for me!
gotta go tesco later, ima try this out and buy one, nice recommendation
honestly one of the best chocolate bars ever i use to see them in stores in my area moved couldnt find them found them online but they were really expensive for some reason and now i moved again and their at the store next to my house
I LOVE Tony’s. It’s probably my fav chocolate. Surprised it’s not more popular
Imagine the bar for being ethical being so low that just getting rid of slave labour is a starting point.
I used to not like this brand at all with their silly name and packaging, the bar is all crooked and way overpriced. Ever since I learned about their mission though, I'm completely on board!
Its corporate now, its 85 procent unverified sourced cocoa, aka slave chocolate.....its a greenwashing scam
They literally admit they use a slave labour company, so they can "grow their business globally" this company is a fraud
Love this, it looks like 90's packaging
Found out about Tony’s chocolate when my town got a Sprouts. Well worth the price tag.
using Hershy's as a comparison is like comparing RANDOM above basic brand to McDonalds, KFC, etc... the proper comparison is with other above basic brand, so commodity brands that NO ONE thinks as premium
The comparison is more to do with highlighting unethical market practices committed by market leaders.
Is Hershy's comparable with Milka?
Hershys the chocolate that tastes like vomit to anyone who is used to eating proper chocolate.
Amazing story!
I stopped eating Tony's chocolate, not because of health or that i stopped liking it, i simply couldn't afford it - £3.00 for 180g bar is kinda ridiculous 😅
Hailing from a third world country myself and working with people below the poverty line, some children actually do want to work to help their family even though their parents tell them to study. I think there's a fine line between child labor and children choosing to work because they have goals (my dad was one of those who chose to work as a kid). And while I know there is child labor in these farms (and i have been in these coco conferences asking hard questions that ate never answered), we also have to wonder if there are children who work just because they want to help out their family...
Hence why their approach is to pay the parents a living wage so their children don't need to help out their families. I'm from a very different cultural and socioeconomic background, so I respect that I might not fully grasp the complexity of this, but the thought of a child being so aware of their parent's poverty that they develop the wish to work seems utterly tragic to me. No family should be reliant on their kid's income. These companies must pay fair wages because children shouldn't have to "want to work" in the first place.
I wonder if anyone really understands how living wages work and how it's not enough for families. Fine, families don't starve. Kids go to school...and then they see someone (classmates or friends) having something they want but their parents only earn a living wage. It isnt even a smartphone. Its just a nicer pencil or a bag without holes. Or maybe they want a snack aside from their lunch but their parents are budgeting. What do they do? Do they steal or work? My dad just wanted a new pair of slippers so he worked at the market selling tomatoes and salt near where his mom sold fish and meat so he can have a new pair that he likes.
@@KaiayaRules unfortunately, that's not going to happen..if we see coco farmers in Ghana become middle class, then someone is actually doing this.
@kishisetasama now you're just justifying greed. "He has something, why shouldn't I?" Get real. Not everyone is obsessed with the idea they need to have what others do.
Why isn’t the manufacturing and processing also done in west Africa?
It's their company they can do whatever fk they want
West africa doesnt have the industrial capacity. The few factories they have are already producing something else for another country or company and then exported.
Tony's is great. The only chocolate company I know actively trying to make the industry better. I try to only by their stuff.
This is awesome. I wonder how much more the open chain can sustain and how they grow their suppliers and certify the non-child labour
It is not cheap here in Australia .. but i bought a christmas bar as a gift to ourselves and now we cannot eat any other (to be honest the only other chocolate we ever ate was Whittakers which is a NZ brand) have always held out buying from the big companies ....
where do I apply for a job :)) ?
Tried one recently, theyre good. Got the regular milk chocolate one tastes like a yorkie bar. £2.50 for a 180g bar is decent too
I saw these in some high end convenient stores and thought it was expensive for no reason. No I understand why and I'll definitely try them out. At least once if I can afford it..
As an ex-choc company employee
I really appreciate what they doing
Tony's Chocolonely's impressive growth and ethical mission highlight a significant trend: consumers increasingly prioritize both taste and ethical considerations in their purchases. This is a powerful reminder that modern brands can thrive by aligning their business practices with social justice issues.
Don’t know why but the packaging of this chocolate reminds me of a WONKA BAR
We were in their Amsterdam store couple months ago and it was a cool store.
I love Tony's Chocolate. In fact I'll grab a bar when I'm getting my groceries tonight.
so tasty, available at almost all supermarkets in Australia now
Amazing videos by the team
"Accidentally"
Got one as a gift and was still disappointed in its quality
John Oliver did a “last week tonight” episode on this
I am Swiss and I buy Tony‘s because it’s up to us to vote with our feet on how we want the products we consume be made and that the ones who do the hard work for it are fairly compensated. I am aware that Tony’s is not perfect. Nothing is ever perfect. But being transparent and working on making it better every day is what makes a difference in the end.
Where in Switzerland do you get them?
Just tried my first bar cause i could afford it, it was incredible and I don't think I can go back. So worth the extra price too with the ethical goals.
If I'm buying the product I'm already supporting the cause. If I don't get a chocolate in my advent calendar I'm not happy!
The packaging looks great, I’ll give them that
I hope they would of focused more on the ingredients used to compare to general brands which use less quality ingredients
have this chocolate in my fridge. good stuff
Honest to god, This chocolate is amazing. I ordered it on a whim a couple of times, the dark chocolate and the salty one and both of them where great. would definitely recommend.
seen your chocolate in Israel, I never saw an ad for it but it was always there on the shelf
Why did they section their chocolate bars like that? This is the only reason for why I don't buy their chocolates.
He explains it in the video
Mid-day squares is another player in this space now too
This is some of the finest chocolate you will ever taste & it feels authentic 100%
Omg I got to taste this here in Manila. This is on my top 3 :) And yes - better than Hershey's
Hersheys is trash
That's not hard to do. Explore the world of small batch craft chocolate, you'll be astounded.
@@RachMonPhoebs Yes - the problem is I don't see a lot of chocolates here from all over the world. It's really these countries --- US, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland, France, Amsterdam.
I will always support Tony. Ethical consumerism for the win! Child slave labour is no joke.
They been caught again, month ago😂
Been eating and loving it for over 10 years. Would recommend to anyone
Amazing stuff. Also as a parent, a kid not getting their advent calendar chocolate to learn a lesson about supply chain inequality miiight be a hard sell 💀😆
0:25 "Which was up about 6% in 2023 over 2022"
08:22 "Chocolate consumption actually dipped 6% in 2023"
🤔
Fun fact: It's impossible to 'accidentally' start a chocolate company!
Another fun fact: this is the reason you do t get invited to parties
How all these small products bringing in hundreds of millions I ain’t ever heard of any of them
There's a lot of people in the world. You don't need to influence all of them. Just enough.
I was under the impression they started because of a piece of research saying unbalanced weighted chocolate bars sold at double the rate of uniform weight ones. Hence their uneven design. I think they just added the fair trade narrative to justify the eccentric price.
i’m ready for hoog to make a video on this
saying ben and jerry's is an ethical brand feels like a stretch
Charlie?
Now lets do it for produce, stones, and metals.
I need to try this
As well as their slavery stance, their packaging is also more sustainable than other brands, as it is mostly paper or foil, so can be recycled easily
Tonys choco tastes absolutely gorgeous ❤
I hope they break even, CNBC keeps showing all these businesses very largely in debt but they have very promising products. But it takes good management and a great product to make a good business, I would like them to come back and revisit these companies in the future to see if they made it.