Feastables has joined Tony’s Open Chain, which helps transforming cocoa supply chains, as its latest Mission Ally and is the first major U.S. chocolate brand to join the initiative. The two organizations have been in conversations since October 2023, signed an agreement in March 2024, and this coming harvest will be scaling up their partnership.
By joining Tony's Open Chain, Mission Allies are helping combat the unfair distribution of value and power in the chocolate industry, which drives cocoa farmers into poverty. This work is done through better traceability of the cocoa beans, paying higher prices for cocoa, and building long-term partnerships in West Africa.
This partnership is a significant step within Feastables’ larger commitment to transform the West African cocoa sector by working on-the-ground with farmers, workers, and within their communities to address the inequities faced by millions throughout the supply chain, says the brand.
Adriaan Verbeke, global head of ethical sourcing at Feastables says: “Tony’s Open Chain is a leader and a best-in-class representation of the highest ethical standards for our industry. As a Mission Ally, we share ethical sourcing principles and a commitment to take transformative actions that are already improving the cocoa sector throughout its 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.”
As a Tony’s Open Chain Mission Ally, Feastables is dedicated to upholding the initiative’s 5 Sourcing Principles. These principles include: (1) ensuring full traceability of cocoa beans, (2) paying a premium for cocoa to support farmers in achieving a living income, (3) fostering robust cooperatives to enhance the safety and sustainability of cocoa farming, (4) committing to long-term relationships to provide income stability for farmers, and (5) offering guidance to farmers to boost their productivity, cocoa quality, and agricultural expertise.
A first look at Feastables’ Ethical Sourcing Strategy
The partnership with Tony’s Open Chain is an important part of Feastables’ Ethical Sourcing Strategy, which seeks to get West African children out of farms and into schools. The Strategy is being actioned in three ways:
- Helping farmers and their families earn a living income.
- Investing in local communities, in children’s education and their wellbeing.
- Ensuring farmers have access to skilled and mechanized labor to successfully operate their farms, without child labor.
Feastables is the brainchild of creator, entrepreneur, and business leader Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, born from his desire to help as many people as possible and especially children who are particularly vulnerable and working within the cocoa sector.
“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. We recognize 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.”
"Tony’s Open Chain is on a mission to set a new standard for the chocolate industry where all brands come together and take responsibility to drive structural change towards a more equally divided cocoa chain. We are now one step closer to that mission,” says Joke Aerts, open chain lead at Tony’s Chocolonely. “We welcome conversations with many more U.S.-based players as we continue transforming cocoa supply chains in West Africa.”
