Ben & Jerry’s and Tony’s Chocolonely Are Teaming Up for a Good Cause

Tony’s Chocolonely is a Dutch chocolate company that makes big, brightly colored bars of ethically sourced chocolate (and not, in fact, dessert bologna, even though the first time I read “Chocolonely” I thought it was pronounced choco-loney). Well, the good news is Tony doesn’t have to be choco-lonely anymore, because he has found two new best friends: Ben & Jerry. That’s right, our favorite ice cream duo is teaming up with the ethical chocolate bar brand to give us a new Tony’s-themed ice cream flavor and two new Tony’s chocolate bar flavors based on B&J’s flavors. And more good news: The collaboration is for a great cause.

So, what are these new ice cream and chocolate bar flavors? And what is the good cause? 

Well, all of these new flavors honestly seem like home runs. The new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor (which also comes in a dairy-free version) is called Chocolatey Love A-Fair, and is inspired by Tony’s popular Milk Caramel Sea Salt chocolate bar. According to the label, this ice cream consists of “Chocolate Ice Cream with Salted Caramel Swirls, Caramel Chunks & Sea Salt Fudge Chunks.” Have I mentioned this sounds fantastic? No? Well, this sounds fantastic. And Tony’s two new B&J’s-inspired chocolate bar flavors are: a white chocolate strawberry cheesecake-style bar (Tony’s white cheesecake-style chocolate plus sticky strawberries and crumbly cookies) and a dark milk chocolate with brownie bar (Tony’s dark milk chocolate plus crunchy brownie pieces). Ugh, delicious.

But this collaboration is about more than just bringing us some great new sweet treats. The companies are teaming up as part of a mission to help end modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry. Ben & Jerry’s says they will be joining Tony’s fair trade cocoa supply chain, Tony’s Open Chain, which is committed to full traceability and transparency and helps ensure workers receive a living wage. Ben & Jerry’s, a company also known for its commitment to social justice causes, hopes Tony’s Open Chain can help them amplify their “commitment to farmers, equity, and ethical sourcing” according to the company’s Global Head of Values-led Sourcing. 

Gosh, I love it when big companies make ethical choices. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside and also makes me really want to go buy one of those chocolate brownie bars. Unfortunately I will have to wait, since all three of these glorious-sounding confectionary items aren’t hitting shelves until January 2023. Until then, I guess the one who is choco-lonely will be me. 

Fun fact: Turns out, the company is called Tony’s Chocolonely because the founder is named Teun, which is the Dutch equivalent to the English name Tony. Apparently Teun “felt like he was the only guy in the chocolate industry that cared about eradicating slavery from the industry,” which is what made him “lonely.” Poor guy. But also look at the great cause he has contributed to and the great chocolate he’s made. You go Teun!