Customer Case | How Tony's Chocolonely gains control over international compliance with HighQ
In recent years, Tony’s Chocolonely has grown from an idealistic Dutch impact company making chocolate to an international enterprise with offices in multiple countries. That growth brings new responsibilities, especially in the areas of tax and compliance.
To improve oversight of deadlines and obligations, Tony’s implemented HighQ together with Crowe Foederer. This online workflow platform provides a clear overview of global compliance processes and upcoming deadlines. It also simplifies document sharing and enables smooth communication with local offices managing compliance in different countries. In short: everything in one place.
We spoke with Ivor Goosen, Senior Financial Accounting & Reporting Specialist at Tony’s, and Charlotte Fokker, Senior Manager Indirect Tax and HighQ Lead at Crowe Foederer, about the first results and the impact of the tool.
We needed more control and structure
Ivor: “We started out in the Netherlands, but today we operate in six countries and are expanding into Ghana, Ivory Coast and Norway. That international growth means dealing with an increasing number of local regulations and deadlines. Compliance was never neglected, but things were handled somewhat ad hoc at times. We needed more control and oversight.”
Charlotte: “That need for structure is something we often see in fast-growing organizations. Tony’s wanted to professionalize and centralize its processes rather than work with separate local providers. That’s why all foreign compliance obligations are now managed by Crowe. Through Crowe Global, we have offices in every relevant country, allowing us to offer a single point of contact. HighQ turned out to be the ideal solution. An online platform that makes compliance processes transparent, with all deadlines, documents, and statuses in one place.”
The power of HighQ lies in its simplicity
Ivor: “What struck me right away was the clarity. As soon as I log in, I see a clean dashboard with all countries, entities, and tasks. What’s completed? What’s still pending? What are the deadlines? Everything is visual and intuitive. That simplicity makes it powerful. As an end user, I don’t have to dig through folders or endless email threads.”
Charlotte: “We deliberately designed the tool so that everyone only sees what’s relevant. Ivor sees the tasks for Tony’s; the local Crowe offices only see their own responsibilities; and we in the Netherlands have the full overview. That keeps it manageable and user-friendly. The system enforces structure, without being complicated.”
From e-mail chaos to one clear platform
Ivor: “Previously, everyone worked with separate documents, Dropbox folders, and email exchanges. It quickly became confusing, especially across multiple countries. HighQ now provides one single, structured location for everything. Each document has a logical name and fixed location. That way, we’re building a clear database per year and per entity. If I want to check what we filed last year in Austria, I can find it on my screen in seconds.”
Charlotte: “And then there’s the Tax Calendar, a digital calendar that records all deadlines by country. At a glance, you can see which compliance tasks are open where, and the task list shows the current status. That prevents misunderstandings and makes reporting much easier.”
“HighQ helps us combine professionalism and structure with the freedom and creativity that define Tony’s.”
A phased rollout that worked perfectly
Ivor: “The implementation was very structured. We started with one country, then added two more, not all six at once. Initially, I thought that was slow, but in hindsight it was exactly right. It gave us time to get used to the system and build processes carefully. Doing everything in one go would have been overwhelming. This way, we could grow step by step.”
Charlotte: “That approach was intentional. HighQ was new to Tony’s, and each compliance process involves many tasks. By phasing it, we kept things manageable and were able to evaluate and optimize after each stage. Now, adding a new country takes just a few clicks. The system scales effortlessly.”
International collaboration is easier than ever
Charlotte: “For us at Crowe, HighQ also makes collaboration with our international offices much simpler. Everything runs through one platform. We can instantly see which tasks are open in which country, without dozens of emails or Excel lists. For Tony’s, that means short communication lines and full transparency.”
Ivor: “We see the same benefit. Communication has become much more efficient. We can track the status in every country and no longer need to chase information. And when someone leaves, their tasks can be reassigned with a single click. The new person immediately sees upcoming deadlines and where to start. That really strengthens
continuity.”
HighQ grows with us
Ivor: “The great thing is that the system is future-proof. We expect to add three new countries soon, and that’s easy to do. The larger we become, the more valuable the tool gets. If new compliance requirements arise, they can be added quickly. HighQ grows along with us.”
Charlotte: “That flexibility was part of our design from the start. HighQ is completely scalable. Some clients use it only for VAT returns, others — like Tony’s — for corporate tax and financial statements too. We configure the platform according to each client’s needs. For Tony’s, it’s structured by year, country, entity, and compliance process — creating one consistent overview.”
Professionalism and personality can go hand in hand
Ivor: “Tony’s has a playful, creative culture. At the same time, we care deeply about professionalism and quality. I come from an audit background, so I value structure. HighQ helps us combine both: working professionally, but in a way that fits our culture.”
Charlotte: “That’s what made this collaboration so enjoyable. Tony’s knows exactly what it stands for and looks for partners who align with that. The implementation wasn’t just technical, but also human: collaborating, testing, refining — all with that signature Tony’s energy.”
“For us, this is a textbook example of how technology can enhance international collaboration, give clients greater control over their compliance processes, and enable us to support them more effectively.”
