In a bold move aimed at spotlighting exploitation in the cocoa industry, Tony’s Chocolonely launched a provocative advertising campaign, “Tony’s fair alternative,” featuring parodic chocolate bars reminiscent of major manufacturers. The campaign’s message is clear: highlight the failure of the chocolate industry to pay a living income price for cocoa beans and challenge other manufacturers to follow suit. However, legal woes ensue as a competitor secures an injunction, prompting Tony’s Chocolonely to remove its Swiss purple bars from the market while appealing the decision, reports Kennedy’s Confection.

This isn’t the first time Tony’s Chocolonely faces backlash for its activism. Similar incidents occurred in the UK in 2021 when big chocolate players pressured retailers to pull lookalike bars over concerns of association with allegations of illegal labour practices.

Despite garnering positive press and social media traction, the campaign’s momentum faces a hurdle in Germany as one manufacturer takes legal action, alleging trademark infringement due to the use of the colour purple.

As the legal battle unfolds, the conversation about systemic issues in the chocolate industry intensifies, underscoring the challenges of advocating for fair trade practices in a competitive market.

What do Tony’s Chocolonely say?

Tony’s Chocolonely commented: “We’ve had to change our bar – but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop raising awareness around the biggest problems in cocoa, which include lack of living income, child exploitation and deforestation. We will continue focusing on our tried-and-true solution: sourcing beans through Tony’s Open Chain, according to Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles. And that includes paying cocoa farmers a Living Income Reference Price.”

We are appealing the current injunction but, in the meantime, we have no option to comply so look out for our new grey bars in the remainder of the campaign as we continue to raise awareness of the lack of living income wages in cocoa. 

Editorial contact:
Editor: Kiran Grewal kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk