Ben & Jerry's and the chocolate brand Tony's Chocolonely have joined forces to end modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry. Both companies are passionate about social justice and celebrate their commitment with chocolate items inspired by each other.
Ben & Jerry's will release Chocolately Love A-Fair, a new flavor made with Tony's milk caramel sea salt chocolate bar. Tony's will release two bars inspired by Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavors. According to Ben & Jerry's, the products will hit shelves in January 2023.
The cocoa beans for these products are sourced through Tony's Open Chain, an initiative helping chocolate brands improve their cocoa supply chains' social and sustainable impacts, namely by taking steps to end modern slavery and child labor in cocoa production and harvesting. The ice cream company will also convert its portfolio to the Open Chain.
Through this commitment to the project, Ben & Jerry's will abide by Tony's five sourcing principles:
• Transition to fully traceable cocoa beans
• Pay additional premium for cocoa beans to give farmers a living income
• Promote co-operatives to make cocoa farming safe and sustainable
• Engage in long-term commitments to give farmers income security
• Coach farmers to improve cocoa productivity and quality, and agricultural knowledge
"Embracing the 5 Sourcing Principles of Tony's Open Chain means unlocking the key elements to driving strong trading relationships and thriving cocoa communities," said Cheryl Pinto, Ben & Jerry's global head of values-led sourcing, in a statement. "We are serious about chocolatey ice cream, and we are eager to join forces with Tony's Open Chain as a Mission Ally, on a delicious journey towards a more ethical future for cocoa production that all chocolate lovers deserve!"
Ben & Jerry's has been working towards aspects of Tony's sourcing principles by partnering with Fairtrade co-ops in Côte d'Ivoire over the last seven years.
"We are thrilled that Ben & Jerry's joins us as a Mission Ally in Tony's Open Chain,” said Joke Aerts, Open Chain lead for Tony's Chocolonely, in a statement. “Not only will this partnership see large volumes of cocoa beans sourced via Tony's Open Chain but collaborating with one of the world's most-loved social justice companies truly puts our initiative on the map internationally and proves that our way of working is a solution for all players in the cocoa industry.”
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