Chocolate maker Tony’s Chocolonely, whose mission is to make all chocolate 100 percent slave-free, kicked off a campaign, Monday, to register at least 1,000 Americans to vote ahead of the 2020 national elections. It has partnered with HeadCount, a non-partisan, nonprofit that promotes participation in democracy.
“It’s a completely bipartisan initiative,” Aidaly Sosa, head of marketing for Tony’s Chocolonely told SFA News Daily. “We just want everyone to use their voice and understand the importance of using their voice.”
As part of the campaign, both companies are providing pertinent links on their home pages and via social media that allow Americans to check their voter registration status and register to vote.
Voter registration will also be encouraged via Tony’s Chocotruck at the March on Washington on August 28, the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech. In addition to sharing its story, Tony’s will share chocolate bars, regardless of whether the recipient has registered to vote. A banner featuring a QR code that users can scan to check on their registration status and register to vote, will be made available at the event.
“As a social impact company, this year has taught us that in addition to contributing to our own mission, we also have the obligation to support the communities where products are sold,” said Sosa. “Being outspoken is one of our brand values but words alone do not make us outspoken, that is why we at Tony’s have decided to act. We want everyone to make their voice heard and we want to be supporters of democracy here and around the world.”
Tony’s Chocolonely was founded in the Netherlands 2005 by three journalists after they discovered that the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers were buying cocoa from plantations that used illegal child labor and modern slavery. Since then it's dedicated its efforts to raise awareness about the inequality in the chocolate industry. The company has built relationships with cocoa farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, paying them a higher price and working to solve the underlying causes of modern slavery. They want to inspire the industry as a whole to make 100 percent slave free the norm in chocolate.
The idea for the voting project came after Tony’s had to sideline its three-month Chocotruck Tour shortly after the pandemic began. During these tours, it uses its truck to communicate its bean to bar story and teach consumers about its brand and mission while sharing its chocolate bars.
As COVID-19 forced Americans to quarantine, the company donated the chocolate it had planned to distribute during the tour to food banks and frontline workers. After the death of George Floyd at the hands of police and the subsequent riots, Tony’s donated funds to the Black Lives Matter movement, but wanted to do more to help enact change by supporting democracy.
Functioning as a voter registration booth, the Chocotruck will tour New York and other areas in September and subsequent weeks leading up to the election.
Related: Slutty Vegan, Impossible Foods Partner for Election Giveaway; Tony's Chocolonely Ensures its Chocolate is 100 Percent Slave-Free.
Image: Tony’s Chocolonely
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