Tony’s Chocolonely revives limited edition ‘Sweet Solution’ campaign chocolate bars
The original launch of Tony's Sweet solution put a spotlight on child labour in cocoa
The Dutch-founded Tony’s Chocolonely B-Corp and Fairtrade certified confectionery company is set to permanently bring back its ‘Sweet Solution’ bars in the US, continuing its bid to highlight child labour in West African cocoa supply chains, writes Neill Barston.
On their initial release earlier this year, the company endured some industry criticism for its ‘look-alike’ series based on established brands including KitKat and Twix designed to raise the profile of its ‘slave free’ chocolate mission.
The move was also viewed by some sector observers as being controversial given Tony’s cocoa sourcing in key West African markets of Ghana and Ivory Coast, which studies from NORC at the University of Chicago found there were still 1.5 million children in child labour in the region within the cocoa sector.
However, both Tony’s and its sourcing partner, Barry Callebaut have stressed that tackling child labour remains a core priority, with the Swiss-headquartered business having made a commitment to eradicate the issue by 2025.
As Tony’s added, the former ‘look-alike’ chocolate bars are back on shelves having originally been unveiled as a limited edition, with each conforming to Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles for fairer chocolate. Confectionery Production recently interviewed the company’s head of impact, Paul Schoenmakers – catch our video interview here, explaining its sourcing policies.
“When we saw how well our fans responded to these bars and their message, we knew we had to incorporate them into our classic rainbow,” explained Thecla Schaeffer, Chief Marketing Officer at Tony’s Chocolonely. “So, until our 5 Sourcing Principles become the norm in the industry, our Sweet Solution bars are here to stay.”
The four chocolate bars will now be wrapped in Tony’s Chocolonely’s signature colourful packing and sold at a price of $5.99 per bar. The new, permanent assortment of flavours includes: Milk chocolate with wafer and cookie pieces, milk chocolate cookie caramel, milk chocolate with hazelnut and cookie, milk chocolate honey almond nougat (which is already in Tony’s Chocolonely’s classic chocolate range).
The initiative follows a move earlier this month by the company to deliver a series of videos featuring a variety of wider social justice causes across the world.
Its five-part series includes a focus on upskirting activist Gina Martin who implemented a new law in the UK, sustainable textile creator Borre Akkersdijk who is democratising responsible design and manufacturing processes, shared economy Hello Tractor appmaker Jehiel Oliver who is disrupting the outdated agricultural ecosystem in Africa, women’s financial liberator Chetna Gala Sinha who is revolutionising banking in India, and political power adaptor Saikat Chakrabarti who is reshaping US politics with candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
