Hamburg, 20. May 2019. After a successful first year of sales at Schiphol Airport Amsterdam, Gebr. Heinemann is now bringing the chocolate brand Tony's Chocolonely to the global travel retail market. Alongside Amsterdam, the products will now be available in the Heinemann Duty Free Shops in Oslo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Budapest and Vienna. Gebr. Heinemann is also distributing the chocolate to its distribution customers worldwide.
TREX developed especially for and with Gebr. Heinemann
Within a timeframe of only three months, together with Gebr. Heinemann, Tony's Chocolonely has developed ten new products for the launch with the travel retailer, which were previously not available for purchase and which will now be available exclusively at Gebr. Heinemann and its distribution customers until at least the end of this year. These include seven different 300 gram bars (Milk Caramel Sea Salt, Milk, Milk Hazelnut, Dark Almond Sea Salt, Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee, Milk Nougat, Dark) and three Tiny Tony's Pouch Packs (Mix Pack, Milk, Milk Caramel Sea Salt).
An impact company that makes chocolate
With its colourful design, extraordinary flavours and fair price, the Dutch brand appeals to chocolate lovers globally. The most important about Tony's Chocolonely, however, is its mission to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate. This mission is the driving force behind the entire brand, and comes first in everything that they do.
"Tony's Chocolonely sets a good example to the world that high quality, sustainability and profit can go hand in hand. The brand has found favour internationally with its responsible claim. But the fair chocolate is also a hit from a commercial point of view and we're very happy that we can offer it to travellers at our other European Duty Free sites in addition to Amsterdam. We are also very enthusiastic about the company’s high level of rapidity and flexibility in regard to developing travel retail exclusives," says Kay Spanger, Chief Commercial Officer of Gebr. Heinemann.
“In order to make all chocolate worldwide slave free, it is an absolute must to also be successful in one of world’s biggest channels: Duty Free Travel Retail. We’re happy to have Gebr. Heinemann as our launching partner and are looking forward to take the next step with them in our mission to 100% slave free chocolate,” says Henk Jan Beltman, Chief Chocolate Officer of Tony’s Chocolonely
In the Netherlands, the chocolate is already the market leader in domestic retail and a pioneer in the industry. The path of the cocoa bean can be traced across the entire production chain, from the farm to the environmentally-friendly packaging. The impact company only buys its cocoa beans direct from farmers' cooperatives in West Africa and guarantees to work with them for at least five years. Depending on their living and labour costs, Tony's Chocolonely pays them flexible premiums in addition to the world market price, on top of the fair trade premium. This additional premium enables farmers to earn a living income and invests, like in training for farmers, through the cooperatives. These fair prices ensure improved local conditions and better quality cocoa beans. However, the company is not only very transparent when it comes to its entire supply chain, but also when it comes to sales and profits, and makes employees shareholders of the brand.
This approach fits in very well with Gebr. Heinemann's sustainability strategy, under which the company is continuously expanding its product portfolio in the spirit of growing responsibility for the environment and society, among other things.
Press contact:
Gebr. Heinemann
Julia KnorsCorporate Communications Manager
Tony's Chocolonely
Angela Ursem
Movement Maker
About Tony's Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely exists to make chocolate 100% slave free. Not just its own chocolate, but all chocolate worldwide. It’s an impact company making chocolate. Tony’s Chocolonely was founded in 2005 by three journalists from the Dutch TV show ‘Keuringsdienst van Waarde’ after they discovered that the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers were buying cocoa from plantations that used illegal child labor and modern slavery.
Since then Tony’s Chocolonely has dedicated its efforts to raise awareness about the inequality in the chocolate industry. They lead by example by building direct long term relationships with cocoa farmers in Ghana and The Ivory Coast paying them a higher price and working together to solve the underlying causes of modern slavery. They want to inspire the industry as a whole to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate. Tony’s Chocolonely has grown to become the largest chocolate brand in the Netherlands and is now available in multiple markets like the USA, UK, Germany, Belgium and Scandinavia.
