They're big. They're delicious. They're giant bars of
trampoline-worthy chocolate by a company I had never heard of until fairly recently: Tony's Chocolonely!
Where to begin. I didn't search out these bars, these bars came to me — via my sister who traveled to Amsterdam over a year ago and brought me back five large bars of various flavors (dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk chocolate with nougat, milk chocolate with hazelnuts and milk chocolate with caramel and sea salt) purchased at a supermarket there.
Tony's also takes a sledgehammer to something far less digestible: slavery in the cocoa industry. Slavery, including child slavery, is directly linked to much of the chocolate that we ingest in one form or another.
To my surprise, this news has been circulating in headlines for well over 10 years. But it wasn't until I visited the Tony's Chocolonely website about a year and a half ago — because I liked their chocolate so much — that I learned about the abuse and exploitation that lies behind the foil-covered bunnies and melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hands chocolate candies that we associate with the playful side of life.
Google "slavery chocolate" and the results are astonishing. Brands that many of us grew up with —Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle — are connected to the exploitation of children and adult laborers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast which supply more than 70% of all the chocolate in the world. Photos reveal children carrying heavy bags of cocoa beans; and articles report of child laborers being locked in rooms, beaten, whipped and slashed with knives.
It's nearly impossible to write about food these days without addressing heavy issues. Large-scale global businesses threaten everyone and everything that stands in the path of supply and demand. I miss the time when as an 8-year-old girl I could behold a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and marvel at its perfection without any humanitarian issues weighing me down. On the contrary, gently pressed between my pincer grasp was the candy world's moon landing: a beautifully engineered, exquisitely delicious peanut butter cup for all to enjoy. There was nothing but the miracle of life to ponder as the impossibly smooth and ever so thin top coat of chocolate melted beneath my index finger. That children should be harmed in the making of anything, let alone something so connected to childhood as chocolate, is deeply disturbing, and must be stopped.
How do we stop this? The good news is, you don't have to boycott chocolate, just the brands of chocolate that source their cacao beans from farms that use slave labor. And, note to big business, if any large corporations out there think people don't boycott brands anymore, consider this recent headline from Ad Week:
We who love chocolate must be vigilant in our chocolate selections. For now, it's ixnay on the ersheyshay and estlenay, and others, until these companies can get their heads out of their bottom lines and start caring about the most vulnerable members of their manufacturing chain. And until drugstores start to carry ethical chocolate like Tony's, you may have to buy your chocolate online from stores that carry slave-free brands. (I don't know about you, but the idea of receiving chocolate in the mail sounds pretty freaking exciting to me.)
The power to bring about change in the chocolate industry is in our hands as consumers, and the choice of chocolates we hold. With so many outstanding brands of chocolate to choose from, evolution has never been easier, or more delicious. In my unofficial research, I have found that some of the best-tasting chocolates are made by the most socially conscious companies. Is it pure luck that things often work out this way? I don't think so. Something in my gut tells me that love of chocolate and love of humanity are somehow connected. Tony's Chocolonely is a splendid example.
There's a whole lot more to say about this company and this topic, but, for now, I'll simply end by saying that if you love chocolate, you'll love Tony's Chocolonely. The bars are a bit pricey, but not a rip-off. They're easy to spot, and popping up everywhere in NYC.
Where to begin. I didn't search out these bars, these bars came to me — via my sister who traveled to Amsterdam over a year ago and brought me back five large bars of various flavors (dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk chocolate with nougat, milk chocolate with hazelnuts and milk chocolate with caramel and sea salt) purchased at a supermarket there.
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| Raising the Bar: Dutch-owned Tony's Chocolonely is making chocolate great again. |
With their giant size, bright-colored wrappers, wacky font and
avant-garde breaks, these thick slabs of high-quality chocolate take a sledgehammer to the flat, boring bars of yore and let loose some seriously fun, chocolate indulgence. And trust me, it's not difficult to eat a whole bar in one sitting.
Tony's also takes a sledgehammer to something far less digestible: slavery in the cocoa industry. Slavery, including child slavery, is directly linked to much of the chocolate that we ingest in one form or another.
To my surprise, this news has been circulating in headlines for well over 10 years. But it wasn't until I visited the Tony's Chocolonely website about a year and a half ago — because I liked their chocolate so much — that I learned about the abuse and exploitation that lies behind the foil-covered bunnies and melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hands chocolate candies that we associate with the playful side of life.
Google "slavery chocolate" and the results are astonishing. Brands that many of us grew up with —Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle — are connected to the exploitation of children and adult laborers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast which supply more than 70% of all the chocolate in the world. Photos reveal children carrying heavy bags of cocoa beans; and articles report of child laborers being locked in rooms, beaten, whipped and slashed with knives.
It's nearly impossible to write about food these days without addressing heavy issues. Large-scale global businesses threaten everyone and everything that stands in the path of supply and demand. I miss the time when as an 8-year-old girl I could behold a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and marvel at its perfection without any humanitarian issues weighing me down. On the contrary, gently pressed between my pincer grasp was the candy world's moon landing: a beautifully engineered, exquisitely delicious peanut butter cup for all to enjoy. There was nothing but the miracle of life to ponder as the impossibly smooth and ever so thin top coat of chocolate melted beneath my index finger. That children should be harmed in the making of anything, let alone something so connected to childhood as chocolate, is deeply disturbing, and must be stopped.
How do we stop this? The good news is, you don't have to boycott chocolate, just the brands of chocolate that source their cacao beans from farms that use slave labor. And, note to big business, if any large corporations out there think people don't boycott brands anymore, consider this recent headline from Ad Week:
57% of Consumers Will Boycott a Brand That Doesn’t Share Their Social Beliefs
We who love chocolate must be vigilant in our chocolate selections. For now, it's ixnay on the ersheyshay and estlenay, and others, until these companies can get their heads out of their bottom lines and start caring about the most vulnerable members of their manufacturing chain. And until drugstores start to carry ethical chocolate like Tony's, you may have to buy your chocolate online from stores that carry slave-free brands. (I don't know about you, but the idea of receiving chocolate in the mail sounds pretty freaking exciting to me.)
The power to bring about change in the chocolate industry is in our hands as consumers, and the choice of chocolates we hold. With so many outstanding brands of chocolate to choose from, evolution has never been easier, or more delicious. In my unofficial research, I have found that some of the best-tasting chocolates are made by the most socially conscious companies. Is it pure luck that things often work out this way? I don't think so. Something in my gut tells me that love of chocolate and love of humanity are somehow connected. Tony's Chocolonely is a splendid example.
There's a whole lot more to say about this company and this topic, but, for now, I'll simply end by saying that if you love chocolate, you'll love Tony's Chocolonely. The bars are a bit pricey, but not a rip-off. They're easy to spot, and popping up everywhere in NYC.
 |
| Finding Mr. Good Bar: Chocolate bars by Tony's Chocolonely spotted recently at Bedford Cheese Shop in NYC. |
