WAITROSE & TONY’S OPEN CHAIN

What is TONY’S OPEN CHAIN?

It’s a collaborative cocoa-sourcing initiative started by chocolate brand Tony's Chocolonely that enables other companies to source from its unique cocoa-sourcing supply chain. The sourcing model is based on a set of sourcing principles that together aim to end the exploitation of people and nature in the cocoa industry.

Why is it important?

In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where more than two thirds of the world’s cocoa is produced, farmers struggle to earn a living income and many live in extreme poverty . This can result in illegal forced labour on cocoa farms, as well as deforestation to increase the amount of land available for farming(1).

A more responsible cocoa industry starts with a better price for farmers. Without this, and greater financial security, farmers cannot invest in increasing their productivity and diversifying incomes, and don’t always have the means to provide access to education for children.

At Waitrose, we're committed to tackling these issues through responsible cocoa sourcing, and we're proud to be a Mission Ally partnering with Tony's Open Chain. Look out for the yellow logo on Belgian and Cooks' Ingredients chocolate bars, and pink badges on other Waitrose confectionery.

The principles of Tony’s Open Chain

The Tony’s Open Chain model is underpinned by sourcing principles(2) that aim to tackle the most important issues in cocoa supply chains, which we follow in addition to our Fairtrade-certified sourcing requirements for cocoa.

Traceable beans

Physical traceability tells us where the cocoa beans we purchase come from, and all Tony's cocoa beans are physically traced from farm to at least the first cocoa processor – where they're tranformed into ingredients like cocoa powder and butter – giving assurance that they have met Tony's high standards.

A higher price

Farmers receive an additional premium on top of the Fairtrade certified bean price to support them to earn a living income. This is known as the Living Income Reference Price and is essential to help farmers achieve a decent standard of living.

Empowering farmers

Tony's Open Chain works with cooperatives who are committed to the model, and who invest in the professionalisation of their members, giving them more power to structurally change inequality.

Productivity & quality

The farmers in the cooperatives we source from take part in productivity, diversification and quality initiatives to improve their yield, while reducing the risk of illegal labour on farms.

The long term

In order to give farmers security to invest and give them the best chance at breaking the poverty cycle, we've engaged in a minimum 5-year commitment with Tony's Open Chain for cooperatives supplying our cocoa that have committed to the model.

Same farmer benefit – different sourcing models

The cocoa we source through Tony’s Open Chain is all Fairtrade Certified, and comes from cocoa farms and cooperatives adopting its sourcing principles.

While the Tony's Open Chain principles apply to all cocoa sourced from the farmers, the sourcing model for how this cocoa flows through the supply chain operates in two different ways across our product range: segregated and mass-balance(3).

For each sourcing model, all Tony’s Open Chain cocoa beans are tracked at each step in the supply chain using Tony’s Bean Tracker and are kept strictly separate from other cocoa sources all the way up to delivery to the first cocoa processor, who then produces the cocoa mass, powder, butter and other cocoa ingredients used in our products(3).

Tony's Open Chain - Segregated Cocoa
The cocoa ingredients used in some of our Waitrose own-brand chocolate bars are sourced via a segregated supply chain model. These products can be identified by the yellow Tony’s Open Chain button on their packaging.

The segregated model means that cocoa beans sourced via Tony’s Open Chain, and any cocoa ingredients produced from them, are always kept separate from any cocoa from other sources all the way through the supply chain up to the final product on our shelves.

This segregation is checked by controls and audits at each step, which means we can be confident that the cocoa ingredients always come from farms that are part of, and benefiting from, the Tony’s Open Chain programme.

Tony's Open Chain - Mass-Balance Cocoa
Many of our Waitrose own-brand confectionery products are now made using Tony's Open Chain mass-balance sourced cocoa, and can be identified by the pink Tony's Open Chain button on their packaging.

These cocoa beans are purchased in advance from farms that are part of the Tony's programme to the equivalent amount needed, paying the same Tony's cocoa premium as for segregated cocoa.

Traceable and segregated up to the first processor (as with the segregated cocoa beans), thereafter these beans may be mixed during manufacturing with cocoa from other sources, meaning that the physical amount of Tony's Open Chain cocoa beans in the final product isn't known. While there isn’t complete physical traceability of the cocoa in these products back to Tony’s Open Chain farms, Waitrose pays the same cocoa premium to farmers and makes the same long-term sourcing commitment, meaning the benefits received by farmers remain the same as with the segregated model. This ensures a positive financial impact for the cocoa farmers regardless of the cocoa in the final product.

More about Tony's Open Chain

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Partnership Statement

“I'm incredibly proud that we're further expanding our cocoa sourcing through Tony’s Open Chain to more of our confectionery range, in addition to the nine Waitrose chocolate bars already sourced in this way. This not only means that we are increasing traceability and transparency in a core part of our cocoa supply chain, it also means we're paying these farmers a higher price and supporting their efforts to farm without deforestation."

"This is hugely important so that farmers can thrive and continue investing in their farms, and so our customers can continue enjoying quality chocolate with strong ethical standards."

Sam Ludlow-Taylor, Responsible Sourcing Lead at the John Lewis Partnership

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