On September 24, Feastables announced it had joined Tony’s Open Chain, a leading company working to improve cocoa supply chains. By becoming the brand’s latest Mission Ally, Feastables became the first major US chocolate brand to join the initiative.
Feastables is the creation of entrepreneur Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr Beast, and who has 318 million subscribers on YouTube. Mr Beast launched Feastables with his own mission to help as many people as possible, especially children who are particularly vulnerable and work within the cocoa sector.
By joining Tony’s Open Chain and with Mr Beast’s significant YouTube following, the influencer has the potential to reach a wide remit of fans and communicate the importance of setting a new cocoa standard and paying farmers a living wage.
Ending inequality in the chocolate industry
Tony’s and Feastables have been discussing working together since October 2023. The two companies finalised an agreement in March 2024 and are set to expand their partnership during the upcoming harvest period.
In January 2024, Tony Chocolonely reported more than 17,000 farmers have benefitted from Tony’s Open Chain impact model, including receiving living income. This figure represented a 20% year-on-year increase. Publishing its FAIR report for 2022-2023, Tony’s report showed the largest annual increase in Tony’s Mission Allies, with six new collaborators joining its initiative.
By becoming part of Tony's Open Chain, Feastables joins other Mission Allies in striving to address the inequitable distribution of value and influence in the chocolate industry, which leads to poverty for cocoa farmers. Tony’s Open Chain seeks to tackle the unfair balance of power by improving traceability of cocoa beans, fairer cocoa prices and establishing long-term partnerships in West Africa.
“Tony’s Open Chain is a leader and a best-in-class representation of the highest ethical standards for our industry,” says Adriaan Verbeke, Global Head of Ethical Sourcing at Feastables.
Changing how we make cocoa
Tony’s Open Chain is focused on raising the current standard in the cocoa industry. “Every collaboration with Mission Allies strengthens the fight against forced labour, child labour, and deforestation in the cocoa supply chain,” says Joke Aerts, Open Chain Lead at Tony’s Chocolonely. “Our focus today is to get kids off the farms and into the schools in West Africa,” Adriaan Verbeke, Global Head of Ethical Sourcing at Feastables shares. As the brand grows, it will extend its efforts into other regions.
During the last cocoa season, Tony’s Open Chain partnered with around 18,000 cocoa farmers, all members of one of its eleven partner co-ops - Tony’s plans to add nearly 3,000 more farmers in the upcoming cocoa season starting 1st October 2024. “Significantly boosted by Feastables joining as a Mission Ally,” Aerts says.
“The results speak for themselves,” Aerts shares. Cocoa sourced through Tony’s Open Chain is 100% deforestation-free, significantly increases farmer incomes, and reduces child labour rates from the industry average of 46.7% to just 4.4% within Tony’s Open Chain long-term partner cooperatives.
The collaboration marks a significant milestone in Feastables dedication to transforming the West African cocoa industry. By actively engaging with farmers, workers and communities and addressing the inequalities prevalent in the supply chain, Feastables aims to tackle the challenges these cocoa workers face in the supply chain.
“We know this will take time - but we can’t do it alone, so partnerships like the one with Tony’s Open Chain matter,” adds Verbeke.
Pursuing an ethical sourcing strategy
“We’re trying to do things differently because the way the sector currently defines what is right and what is ethical doesn’t always help West African kids or their families,” says Donaldson. “It’s why we’re hiring sector experts, why we’ve partnered with leaders like Tony’s Open Chain, and why we’re already listening and working with local West African partners,” Donaldson adds.
The brand’s strategy is based on actionable efforts to help farmers and their families achieve a sustainable income, support local communities by investing in children's education and wellbeing, and ensure farmers can access skilled and mechanised labour to work on their farms without resorting to child labour.
“We recognise this is a big challenge, but Feastables is fully committed to the communities that need this the most. We are in this for the long run,” Donaldson shares.
Tony's Open Chain is a collaborative effort to transform cocoa supply chains. It provides a framework for driving industry-wide transformation by encouraging companies in the cocoa industry to embrace Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles. Tony's Open Chain currently has 20 Mission Allies industry players partnered with the initiative, including Ben & Jerry’s, ALDI, Albert Heijn (the largest grocer in the Netherlands) and Waitrose.
“As a Mission Ally, we share ethical sourcing principles and a commitment to take transformative actions already improving the cocoa sector throughout its supply chain,” says Verbeke. As the first major US chocolate brand to join Tony’s Open Chain, Feastables now sources its West African cocoa according to Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles, which differ from traditional operations.
Striving to source beans with the highest ethical sourcing standards, Verbeke says: “We adhere to the sourcing principles of Tony's Open Chain, including paying the highest premiums so farmers can earn a living income and, as such, protect their families and children.”
Feastables also provides full traceability of cocoa beans, ensuring complete transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain. The brand works to strengthen farmer cooperatives to create safer and more sustainable cocoa farming communities. Long-term partnerships provide income stability for farmers and their families, moving beyond the industry's typical short-term contracts. Feastables also supports productivity and quality improvements, helping farmers boost their yields and skills and fostering long-term success.
Building a presence in the US
With Feastables and Tony's Chocolonely being among the fastest-growing chocolate brands in the US, Tony’s also has the opportunity to broaden its reach in that market. As the largest cocoa consumer globally, the US is a vital platform for the brand to continue raising awareness about the cocoa industry’s inequalities. “We welcome conversations with many more US based players as we continue transforming cocoa supply chains in West Africa,” Aerts adds.
“I have seen many programs with different levels of impact, and we believe that a combined stakeholder approach will create bigger and more impactful results and success,” Verbeke adds.
