
“Everyone deserves access to good, affordable healthcare. For many cocoa farmers, however, this is still far from reality.”
Tony’s Chocolonely
Sweet isn’t enough – How Tony’s Chocolonely combines health equity with chocolate
An expanded health program for 5,000 families shows that sustainability begins with fairness in the supply chain. Anyone talking about sustainability in the hospitality industry today needs to think beyond organic ingredients and fair trade labels. Sustainable gastronomy begins where the ingredients are grown. A prime example of this is Tony's Chocolonely, the Dutch impact company that fights exploitation, poverty, and child labor in cocoa farming with its open supply chain and radically fair business model.
The latest milestone: Together with the Elucid health network, Tony's is expanding its successful health program for cocoa farmers from Ghana to Côte d'Ivoire. This will give 5,000 more families access to medical care, vaccinations, and mobile clinical care – in a region where health is still a luxury.
This is not just about medical aid, but about structural change: farmers are to gradually take on contributions themselves in order to support the programs in the long term. At the same time, Tony's continues to pay a premium for fair trade cocoa – an active step against the poverty that fuels exploitation in the industry.
Artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life in many businesses – but by 2026, it will become a structural imperative. The focus is no longer on testing individual tools, but on the question of how AI can be deployed reliably, effectively, and across the entire organization. Examples from tourism, events, and organizations already demonstrate today how scaling works in practice – and where AI specifically reduces the workload.
A clear turning point is emerging for the year 2026. The company-wide deployment of AI is taking center stage. This is the conclusion reached by Hamburg-based AI expert and interim manager Eckhart Hilgenstock, who has analyzed numerous national and international studies on the development of artificial intelligence. His conclusion is clear: “Following the pilot project phase in 2024/25, many companies are aiming to scale AI within their organizations by 2026.”
Dry January is no longer just a month of abstinence. It’s a barometer. For changing guest preferences. For more conscious consumption patterns. For a new aesthetic of enjoyment. Anyone who still believes in 2026 that non-alcoholic drinks are merely lemonade in a crystal glass has failed to grasp the trend. At Bar Montez in the Rosewood Munich, Bar Manager Mario Sel demonstrates just how sophisticated, structured, and gastronomically relevant non-alcoholic creations can be today – and why they have long been a strategic component of contemporary bar culture.
Across all areas of life, the food service industry is becoming more emotional, flexible, and relevant: Chain restaurants are showing more character, transit dining is evolving from a quick stop to an experiential space, and in the context of New Work, cuisine is becoming a central factor for culture, health, and employer attractiveness.
Sweet isn’t enough – How Tony’s Chocolonely combines health equity with chocolate