The Dutch ethical brand said the move will allow it to “innovate faster and be more flexible” regarding its ‘mission to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate’.
Althaea-De Laet In was founded in 1960 by the De Laet family and has remained a family business ever since. In 1987, Althaea joined, taking on responsibility for the commercial development. The Belgian manufacturer has been Tony’s long-term partner from the beginning, moulding bars and tablets for Tony’s and other chocolate makers.
Tony’s was introduced to Althaea-De Laet Int through Barry Callebaut in 2004, tapping into its extensive experience with Fairtrade chocolate to produce the first Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bar.
Strategic milestone
The acquisition marks a strategic milestone for Tony’s growth plans: by operating its own factory to mould its unique chocolate bars, Tony’s said it will be able to innovate faster and be more flexible on production level while scaling up its manufacturing capacity.
“We’re thrilled to announce this acquisition. It’s an exciting next step for Tony’s Chocolonely as a fast-growing impact company that wants to change a whole industry from within and make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate,” said Anne-Wil Dijkstra, Choco Co-Captain (COO) at Tony’s Chocolonely.
“Ingrid, Alain and the team at Althaea-De Laet Int have been our partners from the very beginning, supporting our mission even though it might have seemed next-level ambitious at times – and some of our ideas like creating an unequally divided chocolate bar were a little bit crazy at the very least. We’re very grateful for this opportunity and the trust they have in Tony’s to honour and safeguard the future of this company that has been built with so much love.”
Tony’s said it will continue to collaborate with its other long-term partners to meet a surging demand in bars. The acquisition also marks an important step to pursuing the company’s dream of Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Circus, a factory on the border of Zaanstad and Amsterdam, which will be realized in the future.