
Tony's Chocolonely on making chocolate 100% slave free
06/14/23 • 70 min
In 2007, journalist Teun van de Keuken turned himself in for eating chocolate. He claimed that by buying chocolate he was benefiting from child slavery and he wasn’t wrong.
The cocoa supply chain is shaped like an hourglass. The chain starts with millions of farmers that produce cocoa and ends with the billions of consumers like us that enjoy chocolate.
But what about the bit in between?
This section is dominated by a small group of chocolate giants that profit from keeping the cocoa purchasing price as low as possible. For the farmers, this creates a poverty trap that leads to illegal child labor and modern slavery.
From this revelation, Tony’s Chocolonely was born. By raising awareness with great marketing, leading by example in producing their own chocolate, and inspiring othersto act with initatives like the Open Chain they aim to make 100% slave free chocolate the industry norm.
Today’s episode is an awesome example of how a strong vision can shift an industry. I sit down with Joke Aerts to discuss how Tony's got started, how the chocolate supply chain works, the power of transparency and collaborations, and how we can make 100% slave free chocolate the industry norm.
Connect with Analisa
Website: www.analisawinther.com
Coaching Programs: https://nordicfoodtech.io/startup-services/
Investor Services: https://nordicfoodtech.io/investor-services/
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Has the show helped you learn about the future of food? Find a job? Make an investment? Partner with an org? Change how you eat? This podcast is powered by listener support and contributions. If the show has helped you in any way, please consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber. Your contribution goes a long way to tell more stories about how we can create a better future through food.
In 2007, journalist Teun van de Keuken turned himself in for eating chocolate. He claimed that by buying chocolate he was benefiting from child slavery and he wasn’t wrong.
The cocoa supply chain is shaped like an hourglass. The chain starts with millions of farmers that produce cocoa and ends with the billions of consumers like us that enjoy chocolate.
But what about the bit in between?
This section is dominated by a small group of chocolate giants that profit from keeping the cocoa purchasing price as low as possible. For the farmers, this creates a poverty trap that leads to illegal child labor and modern slavery.
From this revelation, Tony’s Chocolonely was born. By raising awareness with great marketing, leading by example in producing their own chocolate, and inspiring othersto act with initatives like the Open Chain they aim to make 100% slave free chocolate the industry norm.
Today’s episode is an awesome example of how a strong vision can shift an industry. I sit down with Joke Aerts to discuss how Tony's got started, how the chocolate supply chain works, the power of transparency and collaborations, and how we can make 100% slave free chocolate the industry norm.
Connect with Analisa
Website: www.analisawinther.com
Coaching Programs: https://nordicfoodtech.io/startup-services/
Investor Services: https://nordicfoodtech.io/investor-services/
Speaking: https://nordicfoodtech.io/speaking/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/analisa.winther/
Give Thanks To The Show
Has the show helped you learn about the future of food? Find a job? Make an investment? Partner with an org? Change how you eat? This podcast is powered by listener support and contributions. If the show has helped you in any way, please consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber. Your contribution goes a long way to tell more stories about how we can create a better future through food.
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What Makes Investor-Startup Relationships Great (Video)
How can startups in the climate, ag, and foodtech space get the funding they need to scale their solutions? Climentum Capital, a European VC, asked me to come on their podcast Climate Insiders to discuss just that. I speak with Partner Yoann Berno about the art and science of fundraising giving you a behind the scenes look at how investors think, make decisions on deal flow, and what they typically look for.
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Give Thanks To The Show Has the show helped you learn about the future of food? Find a job? Make an investment? Partner with an org? Change how you eat? This podcast is powered by listener support and contributions. If the show has helped you in any way, please consider becoming a monthly or annual subscriber. Your contribution goes a long way to tell more stories about how we can create a better future through food.
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Meraki Impact on investing in regenerative agriculture through venture philanthropy
Fernando Russo is the co-founder of Meraki Impact, a single family office from Brazil dedicated to investments in regenerative agriculture, forest and the future of sustainable food production. Guided by venture philanthropy, Meraki Impact has made dozens of investments in technology to enable the scale of regenerative agriculture and in large scale regenerative agriculture farms in Latin America and Europe.
In this episode, we discuss Fernando's uncommon career path. He used to work for Playboy and AB InBev before he pivoted to food. We also explain what regenerative agriculture is, the industry's potential, and technology enablers. Fernando also explains how they use the venture philanthropy model to invest in pioneering startups as well as grassroots initiatives, especially related to regenerating the Amazon rain forest.
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