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Case Study

Tony’s Chocolonely: The pursuit of growth with purpose

By Benoit F. Leleux and Jan Van der Kaaij

17 pages

November 2018

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Reference: IMD-7-1982

The case, and its accompanying pedagogical material, offers a unique perspective on CSR-based transformational entrepreneurship, looking at a startup company with a strong ethical purpose and objective, in this case the transformation of the cocoa supply chain towards a child-labor free, fair-trade, organic agriculture-based sourcing. The case follows the history of Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch producer of premium chocolate bars with a strong responsible footprint. It follows the footsteps of its founder, Teun van de Keuken (a.k.a. Tony) from journalist to social activist and ultimately entrepreneur with a strong sense of purpose and defined impact objectives. The 12-year journey led Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars to claim the number three spot in the Netherlands’s chocolate markets, with the products also sold in many other countries around the globe.

Learning Objective

Scaling up
Growth with purpose
Social and environmental responsibility
CSR
Child labor
Materialities
Mixed motives firms
Ethics
Transformational entrepreneurship
Social ventures
Impact investment
Leading change
Standard setting
ESG criteria
Work-life balance

Keywords

Marketing, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility, Impact, Growth Management, Ethics, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Integrity, Labor Practices, Brand Building, Differentiation, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Innovative Business Model, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Transformation, Chocolate, Environmental Social and Governance

Settings

Europe, Netherlands
Tony’s Chocolonely, Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage
2005-2018

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

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