WHAT DOES RED ACTUALLY MEAN? TONY'S CHOCOLONELY SETTLES THE DEBATE WITH PANTONE COLLAB

The cheeky campaign from the impact chocolate company seeks to share the story behind their iconic brand color

NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tony's Chocolonely, the impact chocolate company on a mission to end exploitation in cocoa, is inviting fans to step inside the bold, unapologetically vibrant world of Tony's Only Red – a color that's been part of their story all along but has never been formally explored. Now, in partnership with Pantone, the brand is making it official: their signature red is no longer just the red that stops you on the shelf, it's standardized . The campaign pays homage to a color that has always stood for Tony's daring, optimistic attitude, and trailblazing spirit.

For years, Tony's branding has set them apart, from the distinctive unequally divided pieces of their bar that represent the inequalities cocoa farmers face, to their name which speaks to their 'lonely' mission to end exploitation in cocoa. Yet the story of Tony's red itself, the color of their first attention-grabbing bar, remained untold. Unstandardized. Unscientific. Until now.

Tony's teamed up with Pantone, the global authority on color, to bring precision to their passion. Tony's briefed Pantone to standardize their signature red that embodies the conviction and optimistic attitude of their brand. Pantone took Tony's bar to the lab to color match and calibrate the shade to technical perfection. Together, they've standardized a new red that breaks molds, not just color codes.  It's not decoration — it's a declaration of Tony's commitment to making chocolate better.

"We chose red because it's arresting," says Sadira E. Furlow, Tony's Chief Brand Officer. "Tony's Chocolonely Only Red is more than a color - it's a bold statement of our mission to make the cocoa industry fairer while crafting chocolate that's damn tasty. It's bold, it's joyful, it's powerful. And now, thanks to Pantone, it's official."

Pantone's team brought rigor to the process, testing and refining until they captured the exact shade that reflects Tony's mission. As Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute puts it, "Tony's Chocolonely is all about celebrating the magic of chocolate and breaking the mold while doing so. In keeping with that spirit, Tony's Chocolonely Only Red is a confident, and captivating red that challenges the status quo, defies convention, and makes no compromises on taste or impact."

Now, Tony's is inviting fans to step inside the world of Tony's Only Red — not through rose-colored glasses, but through the lens of their impact. "Our red isn't happy-go-lucky," says Dusan Vujovic, Head of North America at Tony's Chocolonely.

"It's optimistic in attitude — because we believe we can change the cocoa industry together. To do that we need everyone to join in, which is why we're inviting partners, friends and fans in to help us make the world better all by indulging their cravings for something truly good."

NOTES TO EDITOR

For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected]

Associated links:

• Annual Fair Report:https://online.flippingbook.com/view/189607595/
  
  
• Website:https://us.tonyschocolonely.com/
  
  
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tonyschocolonely_us/
  
  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tony's-chocolonely/?viewAsMember=true

Challenges in the cocoa market 
Millions of cocoa farmers in West Africa receive too little for their cocoa, denying them a living income, leading to poverty, illegal labor and deforestation as well as the underinvestment in their farms leading to supply loss. Over 1.5 million children work illegally on cocoa plantations, forced labor affects 30,000 individuals and 80-95% of rainforest in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana has already been lost since 1955 – with one-third caused by cocoa production.

About Tony's Chocolonely   
Tony's Chocolonely is an impact company that makes chocolate, dedicating its efforts to ending child labor, forced labor and all forms of exploitation in cocoa.  They have grown to become one of the market leaders in the Netherlands and are rapidly growing worldwide. Tony's Chocolonely is a B Corp and is Fairtrade-certified.   

About Tony's Open Chain   
Companies are invited to join Tony's Chocolonely in its ambition to end exploitation in cocoa together, by becoming Mission Allies and sourcing cocoa beans through Tony's Open Chain. In doing so, their beans are sourced according to Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles, including paying a living income price for all cocoa sourced,  from communities where the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System is fully implemented.  

About Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles 
Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles aim to structurally improve the lives of cocoa farming families. They consist of (1) sourcing 100% traceable cocoa beans, (2) paying a higher price for cocoa to enable farmers to earn a living income, (3) promoting strong partner co-operatives to professionalize and make cocoa farming safe and sustainable, (4) engaging in long-term commitments to boost farmers' income security, (5) training farmers to improve their productivity and cocoa quality.  

About Pantone
Pantone provides the universal language of colour that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control colour from inspiration to realisation – leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve colour consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical colour specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customized colour standards, brand identity and product colour consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Colour Trend Reports, colour psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Colour System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce certified Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings colour and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. Learn more at www.pantone.com and connect with Pantone on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For more information, visit tonyschocolonely.com or contact: Lexie Gracey ([email protected])

SOURCE Tony's Chocolonely