It's Not Willy Wonka, It's Better and with a Great Purpose

I decided to write about Tony's after a recent conversation with my dear friend, Haytham. He told me the beautiful story behind this amazing chocolate and since I love a good purpose story, I decided to go for it. I would suggest you get a piece of chocolate next to you before continuing the reading, you might get cravings...

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Let’s be honest: most of us don’t overthink our chocolate. It’s a moment of indulgence, a guilty pleasure, something to grab at the checkout when we’ve had one of those days. But then comes Tony’s Chocolonely, and suddenly… you’re thinking a lot about your chocolate. Because Tony’s isn’t just about flavor (although let’s be real, their bars are absolutely delicious) — it’s about fairness, justice, and doing things differently in an industry that has been disturbingly comfortable with inequality for way too long. And yes, I love the brand. I love the taste, the packaging, the unapologetic tone, the mission but most of all, I love how they’ve managed to make doing the right thing feel like a joyful act, not a burdensome one.

What they’re doing isn’t just selling candy bars — they’re telling a story. A story of a broken cocoa industry. Of exploitation, modern slavery, and child labor. Of a system that we all participate in, often unknowingly, with every supermarket swipe. And rather than drop that bomb and walk away, Tony’s wraps it in humor, color, and deliciousness, making people want to learn more, not look away.

Let’s talk marketing. Because that’s what I do. Tony’s Chocolonely has built a brand that is bold, unfiltered, and sometimes downright cheeky — and it works. The bright wrappers are impossible to miss. The fonts shout. The messaging is unapologetically activist but never preachy. They don’t rely on vague “purpose-washing” slogans or bland CSR sections buried at the bottom of their website. Their entire brand is the mission. Even the design of their chocolate bar — uneven pieces to represent the unfair division of profit in the cocoa supply chain — is a branding masterstroke.

They openly admit they haven’t fixed the cocoa industry. (Spoiler: no one brand can do that alone.) But they are actively working to challenge it, pressure others to follow, and shift consumer expectations.

Your values shouldn’t be a slide in a deck. They should be the heartbeat of everything you do. Tony’s tackles heavy topics with humor and color. That contrast? It’s powerful. People want more than a product. They want to feel something. To stand for something. To belong to something. Brands that get this will win.

So yes, it is just chocolate. But it’s also a megaphone, a manifesto, a movement in a wrapper. And I, for one, am here for it.