Tony’s Hopolonely mashup brings sustainable sourcing to white chocolate beer

09 Jun 2021 --- BrewDog has developed and produced a limited edition chocolate-flavored beer in collaboration with Tony’s Chocolonely.

Both B Corp brands are known for their emphasis on ethical sourcing, with the so-called Tony’s Hopolonely being billed as a symbol of the companies’ joint strategy to “make the world a better place, one beer and one bar at a time.”

Tony’s white chocolate raspberry and popping candy bar serves as the inspiration for the beer, which is a white chocolate and raspberry milkshake IPA (5.7 percent alcohol). 

Its milkshake moniker comes from its combination of sweetness and sharp fruit with a “bold mouthfeel.”

A “no-brainer” collaboration
According to the companies, the nose is all sweet and sharp raspberries with hints of milky chocolate, while it’s a “decadent and dessert-like” experience on the palate.

“It was a no-brainer that we’d turn one of Tony’s chocolate bars into a beer, so after multiple tastings (someone’s got to do it) we thought it would be original to pass on doing a dark beer and develop a recipe that pushes the boundaries. This is why we landed on the white chocolate and raspberry milkshake IPA,” says James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog.

The four-packs of 330 ml cans are now available in the UK, Netherlands, France and Germany. Watt is also eager for other Tony’s collaborations in the future. “This feels like the start of something that will continue.”Tony’s Chocolonely aims to make all chocolate 100 percent slave-free.

Ethical visions
The collaboration also aims to marry the respective goals of the companies – part of Tony’s Chocolonely’s objective is to make all chocolate 100 percent slave-free, while BrewDog says it is the world’s first carbon-negative brewer. 

“At BrewDog, we have huge respect for Tony’s Chocolonely, its amazing brand mission and commitment to quality. We felt an affinity with it as it is purpose-led with a clear goal to make the world a better place. We share that vision,” says Watt. 

For every can sold, BrewDog will make a donation to The Chocolonely Foundation, which supports projects to improve the lives of cocoa communities in West Africa.

Appealing to sustainability demands
According to Innova Market Insights, half of global consumers now actively search for products that support ethical or environmental causes when shopping for groceries.

In Europe, 35 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay extra for F&B products that are devoted to solving human exploitation. This figure falls slightly to 33 percent and 31 percent for deforestation and CO2 emission, respectively. 

In February, Tony’s Chocolonely made headlines with its Sweet Solution “look-alike” chocolate bars, which mimicked Twix, Toblerone, Kit Kat and Ferrero Rocher. They aimed to draw attention to illegal labor in the chocolate industry.Consumers are becoming more aware of where their food and drinks come from. 

Hybrid innovations on the rise
This launch also taps into one of Innova Market Insights’ Top Trends for 2021, “Product Mashups: When Trends Collide.” Additionally, “Flavor Mashups” is the market researcher’s top flavor trend for this year. 

Three in five global consumers say that they are interested in trying new sensory experiences, such as aromas, tastes, textures, colors and sensations. 

A spate of brand collaborations has been creating inventive new hybrids. For example, Carnation Breakfast Essentials Nutritional Drinks recently rolled out flavors in collaboration with cereal brands like Froot Loops and Krave. 

In the beer space, Harpoon Brewery and Dunkin’ previously teamed up to launch a line of new coffee- and donut-infused beers. Dunkin’s coffee also featured in two of Post’s cereals. 

Meanwhile, Mars Wrigley UK and Google Cloud developed the world’s first chocolate Maltesers AI Cake, featuring Marmite frosting. 

Earlier this year, experts from Kerry and Cargill shared that cocoa is becoming more common in alcohol beverages and soft drinks. 

By Katherine Durrell