You've been pronouncing Tony's chocolate wrong this whole time

Wales Online

13 hours ago

You've been pronouncing Tony's chocolate wrong this whole time
Tony's Chocolonely is a popular brand known for its ethical approach to chocolate - but it turns out people have no idea what the correct name is
Have you been saying it wrong?
(Image: undefined via Getty Images )
While browsing the chocolate section, it's difficult to overlook Tony's eye-catching packaging. The brand's vibrant and fun design makes it a favourite among many shoppers.
However, despite the prominent display of the brand name on each bar, it seems a lot of people are unaware of the actual name of the brand.
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Tony's, a Dutch chocolate company, has gained popularity in the UK recently, largely due to its commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. The company's mission, as stated on its website, is to "end all forms of exploitation in the cocoa industry".
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Yet, it appears that there's been a widespread mispronunciation of the brand's name. Phoebe, an online content creator focused on interior design, revealed her shock upon discovering she had been saying the brand's name incorrectly all along, feeling as though she had been living a "lie".
On her @crafternoons TikTok account, Phoebe confessed: "I just realised it's not Tony's Choco-loney. It's Tony's Choco-lonely. I've been saying Tony's Chocoloney this whole time. Tony's Chocolonely. What?"
Phoebe expressed her disbelief in the video's caption, writing: "Please tell me I'm not the only one who's been getting this wrong. Tony's Chocolonely. Questioning who I really am at this point. Feels like my chocoholic status is a lie."
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In response, the official Tony's account playfully commented: "Loney.. lonely.. did we change it overnight.. did we not.."
And it seems other chocolate enthusiasts were similarly puzzled. One individual remarked: "No, I swear I did an assignment on this at uni about fair trade chocolate. It was Tony's Chocoloney - I think they just rebranded."
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Another shared a similar sentiment: "I SWEAR the name changed to lonely. It was defo Chocolony. No one can convince me otherwise."
A third person expressed their surprise: "I just had to google the name to make sure you weren't messing! I've called it choco- loney too."
On their official blog, Tony's addressed the confusion by confirming that the correct name has always been Chocolonely. They posted: "POV [point of view]: You've been saying our name wrong all this time. We're lone-ly, not loney."
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They further explained the origin of their name, starting from 2003 when journalist Teun, also known as Tony, van de Keuken undertook an investigation into "human rights abuses in the cocoa industry on a Dutch TV show called Keuringsdienst van Waarde."
Researching in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, they reportedly found the illegal labour problems in these countries to be quite severe. Their investigations claimed that 1.56 million children were illicitly working on cocoa farms.
After discovering his concerns about industry issues were falling on deaf ears, he opted to set a precedent himself. In 2005, ethically sourced cocoa beans became the foundation of his chocolate bars.
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The company's website provides some backstory: "'Cause Tony is easier to pronounce than Teun, he decided to brand these bars 'Tony's Chocolonely' – a nod to Teun's lonely fight against exploitation in the cocoa industry."