Child-labour and slavery in the cocoa industry is rife but Tony’s Chocolonely uses its delicious tasting chocolate and its different business model to make change across the industry.
Ben started his career in food and drink over 20 years ago at IRI and then working for Unilever for in a mixture of sales and category management roles.
He joined innocent drinks in 2007 and was there for 8 years, holding a number of senior commercial roles and helping build the UK business that was eventually sold to Coca-Cola in 2013 for £0.5 billion. He left in 2015 to join Proper Snacks, most recently as Chief Operating Officer helping take the business from a start-up to an SME and into national distribution.
Ben has been working for Tony’s since September 2018 as employee number 1 and is responsible for the UK and Ireland. His official job title is Lord Chocolonely iii.
Ben gives us insights into how the cocoa industry is operating today and who are the major culprits for exploitation. He shares what Tony’s Chocolonely is doing to change consumers’ habits and industry practice, and how their how their sourcing principles are helping other businesses.
04/03/22
Our panel delve into how climate change is affecting the farmers that grow our food, what that means for all of us and how we can all help.
Special live Fairtrade Fortnight edition.
19/01/22
Mike Brehme is co-founder of Clipper Teas the market leading Fairtrade tea brand.
12/01/22
Erinch explains Doughnut Economics, the new economic theory which calls for a new way of business that better serves our communities within the planet’s boundaries, rather than the endless pursuit of profit.