Tony’s Chocolonely has been criticized for leaving a blank day on its Christmas Advent calendar to raise awareness about “inequality” in the chocolate industry.
Owners of the Large Countdown Calendar, which sells for £14.99, were baffled when they went to open door number 10 and discovered there was no chocolate inside.
Furious customers have vowed never to buy the calendar again, while parents have complained that their children have been left crying.
Dutch company Tony’s claimed the calendar was “unequally divided because the chocolate industry is unequally divided”, but has been criticized for using an advent calendar for political purposes.
The confectionery company previously apologized for using the same tactic in 2021 and for causing “confusion and disappointment” but has taken it back once again.
This year, however, Tony’s said customers received two gifts at door number nine to make up for it and also received 25 chocolates behind 24 doors in total.
It sparked a heated reaction on social media, with many wishing they had opted for a cheaper Cadburys calendar.
They wrote: ‘That’s why I have a Cadbury one. I want daily chocolate, not preaching’;
Tony’s Chocolonely fans were left disappointed after being greeted with an empty door on their calendars.
The owners of the Big Countdown Calendar, which sells for £14.99, were left baffled when they went to open door number 10 and discovered there was no chocolate inside.
‘Sorry, I know it’s activism, but if I opened my calendar and the door was empty, it would ruin my day’;
‘Using an Advent calendar as a political stunt is crazy’;
‘That’s precisely why I didn’t buy the Advent calendar again this year. It’s a big disappointment’;
‘I thought because they received two chocolates yesterday they must be nice and then they woke up without any’;
“I will not receive this calendar again.”
Others, however, were intrigued by the concept and noted that they still received the same amount of chocolate.
One said: “Tony’s chocolonely really slaps consumers with activism, I love it,” while another added: “It’s quite intelligent because otherwise I wouldn’t have thought about inequality in the chocolate industry (as much as it bothered me a little)’.
One TikTok user, Reina, who lives in the United Kingdom, posted videos of herself opening the door every day.
It sparked a furious reaction on social media, with many wishing they had opted for a cheaper Cadburys calendar.
Reina, who is from the United Kingdom, has been opening her calendar in front of the camera every day and was excited for door number 10.
She was clearly very excited to open door number 10, but was initially surprised when she found “nothing” inside. However, he soon rationed: “We ate two yesterday, so it’s all good.”
Known to its fans simply as Tony’s, the Fairtrade brand was founded in the Netherlands in 2005 by three Dutch television journalists.
On its website, Tony’s calls the product the (Un)FAIR Countdown Calendar.
The £14.99 large calendar contains 225g of chocolate in 10 different flavours. Meanwhile, the smaller calendar has a chocolate behind each door.
A small explanation message was posted next to the window.
On TikTok, the chocolate company explained: “If you had our big countdown calendar, you would have missed a chocolate today.”
‘It is unequally divided because the chocolate industry is unequally divided.
‘The bitter truth is that 1.56 million children from cocoa-producing families are involved in child labor in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
‘At Tony’s we exist to change that. By chewing our chocolate, you help us break the mold to end cocoa exploitation, bar by bar, bite by bite. Are you in?
Tony’s Big Countdown advent calendar sells for £14.99 and has 25 chocolates behind its doors.
Tony’s offered a bit of an explanation to say the calendar was ‘unequally divided’ to reflect on the chocolate industry.
Advent calendar owners received two chocolates behind door number nine and none behind door number ten.
‘Psssssst… you still have 25 chocolates in 24 doors.’
They added on their website: ‘Big chocolate companies make huge profits, while cocoa farmers are not paid enough for their cocoa. The result? Many of them still live well below the poverty line. Sometimes this leaves them no choice but to use illegal labor to grow their cocoa.
‘Child labor and forced labor just so that some people can enjoy sweet chocolate?
‘Unacceptable! Tony’s Chocolonely exists to change this. But we can’t do it alone. Choose change in the chocolate industry by sharing our chocolate and our story this holiday season.”
In 2021, the company apologized for the stunt after parents said children were upset about the lack of chocolate.
Tony’s acknowledged that the decision had caused “confusion and disappointment” but later recovered.
The company said: “Unfortunately, we did not take into account the difficulties that empty windows can cause for neurodivergent children and adults.” We have more to learn as we consider how we can make our products as inclusive as possible.
“At Tony’s we use our products to tell the story of an industry unequally divided and rife with inequality.”
London-based Sonia’s Illustrations shared her disappointment in a TikTok video
Known to its fans simply as Tony’s, the Fairtrade brand was founded in the Netherlands in 2005 by three Dutch television journalists (file image)
Unhappy parents previously said they didn’t need “my advent calendar to teach them a lesson”, adding that it bothered children with autism and ADHD who didn’t understand why.
Hundreds of comments were posted on Tony’s social media pages.
The company says it made up for the empty window with extra chocolates on December 9 and 24, each of which had two gifts instead of the usual one.
But one mother, Rebecca Winward, said: ‘My eight-year-old daughter was crying her eyes out from disappointment. She has ADHD and is awaiting a possible autism diagnosis, so what may seem like small annoyances to others is a big deal to her.’
Another mother said: ‘I’m so glad I didn’t buy this for my autistic son. I understand the reason, but I think it is wrong not to warn in advance.
Meanwhile, Laura Tylor wrote: ‘Calendars are for children and tears before school are not ideal. If you wish to make a statement, please advise (the calendar is) for adults/older children only.’
And Lisbeth King said: ‘(I) don’t feel like my advent calendar should teach me a lesson.
“Here you are rather preaching to the converted.”
FEMAIL has contacted Tony’s Chocolonely for comment.