Years ago, Tony’s Chocolonely announced plans to build a chocolate factory with a roller coaster which the public could visit. Finally, the company has found a location: Zaandam!
If Tony’s Chocolonely can get all the permits they need, fans of the chocolate brand will be able to enjoy a fun-filled visit to the “Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Circus” in a few years time in Zaandam, a city next to Amsterdam. Plans are set to be realised in Pakhuis De Vrede, a 100-year old listed building, which stands alongside the North Sea Canal.
The location seems perfect, as the now vacant warehouse and the silos behind it used to store a lot of cocoa. Plus, the container terminal in front of the warehouse is perfect for shipping tonnes of cocoa to the area, which has the largest cocoa harbour in the world.
The warehouse will become the new head office of Tony’s Chocolonely and include a restaurant and conference facilities. Behind the listed building, chief executive Henk Jan Beltman wants to build two factories to produce the brand’s chocolate bars, one for turning the cocoa beans into a liquid and the second to process the liquid chocolate into the finished product.
Beltman wants to be able to show visitors the whole process of chocolate making, from bean to bar, and of course, make the trip exciting with a roller coaster. The public attraction should bring in 250.000 to 500.000 visitors per year.
Part of the Tony’s Chocolonely mission is to create awareness of the lamentable working conditions in the cultivation of cocoa. The company wants to make 100 percent slave-free chocolate and for this to become the norm worldwide. The proposed factory fits with this vision, Beltman finds.
However, at this moment in time, the Tony’s Chocolonely factory plans do not satisfy the municipality’s requirements and from a planning perspective, they do not fit in the area. According to Zaanstad, within the next six months, it will become clear as to whether the arrival of Tony’s Chocolonely in Zaandam is a certain possibility or not.