Tony’s Chocolonely’s road to Unified Commerce

When you think of Tony’s Chocolonely, you might picture bright wrappers, bold flavors, and a mission to fix a broken cocoa supply chain. But behind those iconic bars lies a brand that’s tackling some of the most complex challenges in ecommerce—and doing it with purpose.

At the NXT:Commerce Summit 2024, Mark Howard, Head of Digital and Ecommerce at Tony’s Chocolonely, and Martijn Wijsmuller, Co-founder of Ask Phill, pulled back the curtain on their ambitious journey to unified commerce. By migrating to Shopify Plus, Tony’s Chocolonely streamlined their B2C, B2B, and wholesale operations, setting the stage for global growth while staying true to their mission. It’s a story of transformation, focus, and a little bit of chocolate-fueled magic.

Unified commerce goes beyond integrating on and offline channels—it’s about bringing every part of the business together on one platform. For Tony’s Chocolonely, this meant uniting their B2C, B2B, and wholesale operations under Shopify Plus. The goal? To simplify their tech stack, streamline processes, and create a foundation for global scalability.

Before the migration, their fragmented legacy systems caused inefficiencies and limited their ability to expand. Mark summed it up:

“We were spending too much time keeping the site running instead of innovating. This migration allowed us to shift our focus to what really matters.

Tony’s Chocolonely is more than a chocolate brand—it’s a movement, fueled by a mission to make the cocoa industry slave-free. Every personalized bar, every sales channel, and every new market they enter is designed not just to connect with more customers but also to share their story and inspire action.

Here’s how they’re making it happen:

• Personalized experiences: Personalization is at the heart of Tony’s Chocolonley’s strategy, allowing them to connect with customers on a deeper level. Whether it’s a corporate gift or a family celebration, each custom-wrapped bar tells Tony’s Chocolonely’s story while giving customers a product they can make their own. It’s a win-win: personalization builds stronger customer relationships while spreading their message—“crazy about chocolate, serious about people.”
  
• Channel mix: Tony’s Chocolonely’s strategy spans multiple channels, each playing a crucial role in spreading their mission while driving growth: 
• Their physical store offers customers an immersive brand experience, including the ability to create custom chocolate bars in real-time.
• Their online store, migrated to Shopify Plus, powers their B2C efforts with features like personalized wrappers, giving customers the chance to connect personally with the brand.
• The B2B market forms a significant part of their business, offering custom-wrapped bars as corporate gifts or event mementos—further spreading Tony’s message at scale.
• Wholesale and reseller channels extend Tony’s Chocolonely reach while maintaining their ethical stance through carefully managed partnerships.
• Market expansion: By prioritizing “golden markets” like the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., Tony’s strategically grows their customer base while introducing their mission to new audiences. Market expansion is more than business growth; it’s about building a global community that cares about creating a fair cocoa industry.

This dual-purpose approach—combining business growth with mission advocacy—is what makes Tony’s Chocolonely’s strategy so unique. They’re not just scaling their brand; they’re scaling their movement.

Transitioning to a unified commerce model is no small feat, and Tony’s Chocolonely’s migration to Shopify Plus came with its share of complexities.

• Legacy complexity: Operating on custom-built systems for years meant that the migration required meticulous planning to retain critical features. Key functionalities, such as personalized wrappers and multi-market fulfillment processes, had to be seamlessly adapted to Shopify Plus without disrupting ongoing operations.
  
  
• Time constraints: With “chocolate season”—the busiest time of the year—on the horizon, the migration team faced significant pressure to execute the transition within a tight timeframe while ensuring continuity for the business.

Despite these challenges, the migration proved to be a pivotal moment for Tony’s Chocolonely. By unifying their channels on a single platform, the brand not only simplified its operations but also positioned itself for long-term growth.

Tony’s Chocolonely is setting a new standard for ethical cocoa sourcing with their Open Chain initiative. This program invites other brands to join their mission to end exploitation in the cocoa industry by adopting Tony’s farmer-first approach, built on five sourcing principles: traceability, fair pricing, long-term commitments, empowering farmers, and boosting quality and productivity.

In 2023/24, Tony’s Open Chain sourced beans from 11 partner cooperatives, impacting over 21,000 cocoa farmers and working with 20 Mission Allies like MrBeast’s Feastables, Albert Heijn, and Ben & Jerry’s. This collective effort drives real change, including a child labor prevalence rate of less than 4.4% at partner cooperatives—far below the 46.7% industry average—and ensures all operations are EUDR-compliant and deforestation-free.

By scaling ethical sourcing and collaborating with allies, Tony’s Open Chain is proving that a fair cocoa supply chain isn’t just achievable—it’s a replicable model for lasting industry change.

Tony’s Chocolonely’s journey to Unified Commerce is about more than efficiency. It’s about creating a platform that scales their impact, shares their story, and keeps them at the forefront of innovation, all while putting people first.

As Mark emphasized during the talk, focus is essential:

“There’s so much you can do, but focus is what ensures you’re doing the right things.”

By staying true to their core mission and prioritizing what matters most—like personalization, market expansion, and ethical supply chains—Tony’s Chocolonely is proving that growth and purpose can go hand in hand. Because if there’s one thing Tony’s Chocolonely knows, it’s this: when you bring focus, purpose, and a little bit of chocolate to the table, anything is possible.