Canada gains a slice of Tony’s Chocolonely action, as the brand expands in North America
The Tony's team at last year's Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago. Pic: Neill Barston
Ethically-founded Dutch confectionery brand, Tony’s Chocolonely has continued its global expansion in extending its portfolio’s availability into Canada, striking an exclusive deal with Longo’s retail stores in Toronto, and wider Ontario area, writes Neill Barston.
The impact-drive business, which has set its stall out to place exploitation in cocoa supply chain as its core driving mission, has moved in time for the key Christmas market, building on its North American regional presence that it has built-up with distribution in the US.
As the company confirmed to Confectionery Production, the Canadian firm, which has a total of 37 stores, is due to stock a selection of seven Fairtrade-certified Belgian chocolate items including a milk chocolate bar, milk and caramel sea salt variety, plus a dark option, dark chocolate and sea salt, a chocolate pretzel version, Tony’s Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar, as well as a rainbow tasting pack containing six classic Tony’s flavours in snackable small bar format. Bars will retail for $6.99 CAD and Tony’s Rainbow Tasting Pack for $11.99 CAD.
Notably, Tony’s played a key role in last year’s World Confectionery Conference, (see our exclusive video review of the 2022 event here), and will be once again joining us for our 2024 edition of the conference, as it returns to Brussels on 12 September 2024 (see www.confectioneryconference.com).
“Our delicious, indulgent chocolate is a vehicle for our mission. Our ambition is to end exploitation in the chocolate industry worldwide. Bringing Tony’s to Canada with a values-driven partner in Longo’s, enables us to reach farther than before, and allows a whole new nation of chocolate lovers to join us,” says Dusan Vujovic, Head of North America at Tony’s Chocolonely.
As the company explained, Longo’s is a family-owned grocery retailer committed to sustainability, known for its values-driven approach, making it a strong match for Tony’s Chocolonely. With a focus on three key pillars – Environmental Stewardship, Responsible Sourcing, and Healthy, Happy People – Longo’s is a firm supporter of the Fairtrade movement and carries a variety of the global movement’s products.
Pat Pessotto, Executive Vice President Sustainability and Industry Relations at Longo’s, welcomed its latest listing. “We are excited to grow our Fairtrade lineup with Tony Chocolonely’s collection of Fairtrade chocolate bars. We pride ourselves on giving our guests the opportunity to support sustainable practices through the products they discover in-store as they shop.”
Tik Tok viral hit
In related news, the company gained national media focus this week following social media influencer Grace Louise gained nearly 3 million views for her short TikTok posting which highlighted the fact that she’d only just realised that the business is in fact called Tony’s Chocolonely, not ‘chocoloney’ – with its unusual name stemming from its Dutch journalist founder noting the lonely quest for trying to shine a spotlight on inequality within cocoa supply chains. Over the past decade, the issue has gained international prominence, leading to major confectionery brands now facing allegations of failing to act sufficiently to protect human rights in preventing child labour with core supplier nations in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Significantly, the company, which has its headquartered in Amsterdam, was recently featured on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and CBS Sunday Morning for its impactful work in combating exploitation in cocoa production, marks a significant milestone in its mission to make chocolate 100% exploitation-free worldwide with its launch into the Canadian market. For additional information, visit tonyschocolonely.com.