MrBeast’s confectionery brand Feastables has joined Tony’s Open Chain, becoming the “first major US chocolate brand” to do so.
The partnership will see Feastables working together with Tony’s Chocolonely to uphold its five cocoa sourcing principles.
These principles include: ensuring full traceability of cocoa beans; paying a premium for cocoa to support farmers in achieving a living income; fostering robust co-operatives to enhance the safety and sustainability of cocoa farming; committing to long-term relationships to provide income stability for farmers; and offering guidance to farmers to boost their productivity, cocoa quality, and agricultural expertise.
Feastables was launched in the US by YouTube’s most subscribed individual MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) in 2022.
High demand for the chocolate bars was immediately apparent, with Donaldson’s website crashing during a giveaway promotion, helping Feastables snag a Walmart listing.
Feastables made its UK debut last summer, launching two chocolate bars – Deez Nuts and Crunch – available to order DTC via the brand’s webstore.
Just weeks later, Spar listed the same two Feastables chocolate bars in an exclusive convenience deal, and Asda added a four-strong lineup of 60g tablets: Deez Nutz, Crunch, Milk Chocolate and Original.
Read more: MrBeast’s chocolate brand grows listings in the UK confectionery market
According to Tony’s, it entered conversations with Feastables in October before signing an agreement with the business in March.
Feastables has now set out its own ethical sourcing strategy, which seeks to get West African children out of farms and into schools. The strategy is being actioned in three ways:
- Helping farmers and their families earn a living income
- Investing in local communities, in children’s education and their wellbeing
- Ensuring farmers have access to skilled and mechanised labour to successfully operate their farms, without child labour.
“We recognize this is a big challenge, but Feastables is fully committed to the communities that need this the most,” said Donaldson.
“It’s why we’re hiring sector experts, why we’ve partnered with leaders like Tony’s Open Chain, and why we’re already listening and working with local West African partners.”
The move comes after Aldi brought back its Choco Changer bar, which adheres to Tony’s five sourcing principles, earlier this month.
Tony’s has signed up five UK ‘mission allies’ to date: Pip & Nut, Waitrose, Aldi, Ben & Jerry’s and Huel.
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