Since Tony’s Chocolonely launched in the UK in 2019, its name has been seen as a mouthful, with CHOCOLONELY often misspelled as CHOCOLONEY – it’s honestly everywhere… I mean check out this viral TikTok! It might seem small, but this is a very important part of Tony’s Chocolonely’s identity as its name reflects its commitment to ending exploitation in the cocoa industry.
The name “Chocolonely” is no accident. Founder Teun van de Keuken (known as “Tony” in English) started Tony’s Chocolonely to raise awareness of the issues in the cocoa industry – a journey that was very “lonely”. “Chocolonely” captures both his mission and the personal drive that launched the brand. So… you see, it’s actually very important for fans to get it right.
Tony’s Chocolonely’s story began when Teun, a Dutch journalist, uncovered a news story that exposed forced labour in cocoa production—an issue he felt should be front-page news. Teun and a team of journalists attempted to raise awareness of this via a segment on Dutch news show KVW, but when the story didn’t make the impact they expected, Teun took a bold step and launched the first-ever Fairtrade traceable milk chocolate – and created what we now know and love as Tony’s Chocolonely.
There’s only so much that Tony’s can do alone, so the brand has opened its sourcing model, the 5 Sourcing Principles, to any other company who wants to use it, calling it Tony’s Open Chain. This industry-led initiative supports chocolate brands in transforming their cocoa supply chains to become sustainability frontrunners. Now, with 20 Mission Allies – including Ben & Jerry’s, Waitrose, Pip & Nut and Feastables – Tony’s is a step closer to reaching its mission and far less lonely.
This story is still unfamiliar to so many, so Tony’s Chocolonely is launching a cheeky OOH and social campaign across the UK to help people pronounce the name correctly—because it actually does matter, and no one wants to write it wrong on their Christmas list and risk an empty stocking!
Jacqui Grimsey-Jones, Head of Marketing at Tony’s Chocolonely said: “We’re always thinking of new ways to raise awareness and inspire people to act and it felt natural to shine a light on our story and name during such a key time for choco sales. This Christmas, we want everyone to embrace our mission and join the movement for exploitation-free chocolate. It really is easy, let’s get the name right: Chocolonely, the impact brand that exists to end poverty, child labour and deforestation in the cocoa industry with damn tasty chocolate made from ethically sourced cocoa beans.”
Editorial contact:
Editor: Kiran Grewal kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk
