Colruyt Group and Tony's Open Chain join forces for more sustainable Saint Nicholas chocolate

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Colruyt Group is launching its first Boni chocolate with fair trade cocoa sourced through Tony's Open Chain. This Tony's Chocolonely programme guarantees cocoa farmers long-term partnerships, higher purchase prices and ongoing support. In a first phase, the collaboration has resulted in three chocolate Saint Nicholas figures, now available at Colruyt, Comarkt/Comarché, Okay and Spar Colruyt Group. The packaging carries the Lekker Bezig, Tony's Open Chain and fair trade labels, helping ​ customers make more conscious choices. In 2026 and 2027, even more Boni references will transition to this cocoa. From the next Saint Nicholas season onwards, all own-brand chocolate bars and seasonal products from Colruyt Group will comply with the 'living income' principle.This initiative builds on the 'Boni Living Income' project that Colruyt Group already launched in Ivory Coast in 2020.

Challenges in the cocoa sector

The cocoa sector faces major challenges: poverty, forced and child labour, deforestation and the use of harmful pesticides. "At Colruyt Group, we want to actively contribute to positive change,"emphasises Jasmien Wildemeersch, the retailer's sustainability expert. "And we can do that through the products on our store shelves. We therefore strive for a transparent supply chain and pay the cocoa farmers a premium to help close the gap between the price they receive for their cocoa beans and the Living Income Reference Price. We firmly believe that only when families earn enough to live on and are free from hunger, can they begin to invest in sustainability, education and the fight against deforestation and child labour."

Partnerships for fairer chocolate

This initiative is not the first step Colruyt Group has taken in the pursuitof fairer chocolate. In 2018, the retailer already signed the Beyond Chocolate Charter and in 2020 they launched a collaboration with cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast, alongside with organisations Fairtrade, Puratos and Rikolto. This direct collaboration was expanded last year to include the entire range of Boni chocolate tablets. Colruyt Group's active commitment to ensuring a living income for cocoa farmers through Boni chocolate was recognised last summer with first place in the 'Beyond Certification' category at the Fairtrade Frontrunner Awards of Fairtrade Belgium, for the second year in a row. "To increase our impact and accelerate progress, we chose to also join Tony's Open Chain," explains Jasmien Wildemeersch. "That programme did not yet exist when we launched our own supply chain partnership in Ivory Coast, but it is a strong ecosystem and we can certainly learn from one another.. In both cases, it's about long-term commitment. Three years for Boni chocolate bars and five years for Boni seasonal chocolate. Only with that kind of continuity can we tackle the challenges in a structural way."

Direct collaboration

For their Boni seasonal chocolate, Colruyt Group buys cocoa beans from Tony's Open Chain. For their chocolate tablets, the retailer is even more closely involved in the chain. Jasmien Wildemeersch: "In our Ivory Coast chain partnership, we help steer the process and closely monitor project implementation through monthly consultations. Like Tony's Open Chain, we ensure payment of the “living income reference price”, support for cooperatives, training to improve quality and productivity and assistance in complying with European deforestation regulations(EUDR). In addition, since March, our Colruyt Group Foundation has been supporting the non-profit organisation Eight enabling them to provide monthly financial aid for two years to the farmers of one of the two cooperatives that produce our cocoa beans.”. ​ ​

These Boni seasonal references are (soon to be) the result of the collaboration with Tony's Open Chain:

Saint Nicholas 2025

Boni Saint Nicholas milk chocolate (Fairtrade) 180 g

Boni Saint Nicholas white chocolate (Fairtrade)180 g

Boni Saint Nicholas dark chocolate (Fairtrade)180 g

Easter 2026

Boni Easter bunny dark (Fairtrade)180 g

Boni Easter bunny milk (Fairtrade)180 g

Boni Easter bunny white (Fairtrade)180 g

Saint Nicholas 2026

Boni Saint Nicholas Chocolate 100 g

Boni Saint Nicholas Chocolate 150 g

Boni Saint Chocolate White 180 g

Boni Saint Chocolate Milk 180 g

Boni dark chocolate 180 g

Boni saints milk praline 200 g

Boni saints white praline 200 g

Boni dark praline saints 200 g

Easter 2027

Boni Easter bunny dark 180 g

Boni Easter bunny milk 180 g

Boni Easter bunny white 180 g

Boni Easter bunny praline 200 g

Boni Easter egg white 250 g

Boni Easter egg mix 1 kg

Boni Easter egg dark 250 g

Boni Easter egg milk 250 g

Boni praline mix 500 g

Boni mix 500 g

Boni dragee eggs 200 g

Boni figure chicken 150 g

Boni figure hare 150 g