Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG on course for success
Waldenbuch, January 26, 2022 – Is stinginess really not cool anymore? Based on the experience of Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, what current surveys suggest for milk or meat products also seems to apply to chocolate:
“We launched our first cocoa program over 30 years ago. At that time, sustainable cultivation and the economic situation in the countries of origin were of little relevance to most people in this country and certainly not a purchasing decision,” explains Ritter CEO Andreas Ronken. “Nevertheless, we stuck to it and continuously expanded our commitment to sustainability at all levels – out of conviction. Decades of investment are now beginning to pay off.” In 2021, the company’s sales will increase by a good seven percent to EUR 505 million. A current survey, in which 55 percent of those questioned stated that sustainability plays a greater role for them when buying chocolate than it used to*, confirms this nationally and internationally noticeable trend. "Growth is also important for us, but we measure success differently," emphasizes Ronken, referring to numerous advances in key sustainability areas.
Ritter – the climate-neutral company
After a first milestone, climate-neutral production in 2019, which included all processing steps at the Waldenbuch site (Scope 1 and 2), Ritter also has factors for 2020 that go beyond production and lie within the company's direct sphere of influence, such as the delivery of the chocolate produced (Scope 3 influenceable) compensated. Plans for this year include using certificates from the company's own value-added chain to offset previously unavoidable CO2 emissions for the first time. Thanks to reforestation on 1,200 hectares, the Ritter Sport cocoa farm El Cacao in Nicaragua has been recognized as a Gold Standard climate protection project. This is how the family business generates its own certificates. The next major goal, complete climate neutrality along the entire value chain, which also includes areas outside of our own sphere of influence, such as raw material production (Scope 3 cannot be influenced), is to be achieved by 2025.
100% certified sustainable cocoa - visible on every bar in the future
Significant progress has also been made in the area of cocoa procurement, which is so central for a chocolate manufacturer, emphasizes Ronken: “In the meantime, around 70 percent of our cocoa comes from our cocoa programs. Not only do we know where, by whom and how our cocoa is grown, we also implement concrete measures together with our local partners that contribute to sustainably improving the social, economic and ecological conditions in the countries of origin. Since 2018, Ritter has been the first and so far the only major chocolate bar manufacturer to source exclusively certified sustainable cocoa for the entire range. From mid-2022, this will be prominently displayed on the front of every Ritter Sport table. With this, Ritter takes into account the desire of many consumers for information and orientation.
The appreciation Ritter has for the raw material cocoa is shown not least by the endeavor to use the cocoa fruit holistically. Already at the beginning of 2021, the cocoa fruit bar Cacao y Nada, which consists of 100 percent cocoa, caused a stir in Germany. A new edition is planned for 2022. A company-owned start-up has now launched a cocoa fruit soft drink and a Secco under the name CacaoVida. The juice of the cocoa fruit, which usually simply drains off during fermentation, is used for both the Cacao y Nada and the CacaoVida products.
"Our drive is to do the right things to make really good chocolate," summarizes Ronken. "The result is a modern brand that combines joie de vivre and responsibility and thus obviously hits the nerve of the times."
*Source: Toluna Online Sustainability Survey, January 2022, Germany, n=300
About Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG
Founded in 1912, the family company with its headquarters in Waldenbuch, Swabia, a second production site in Breitenbrunn, Austria, and subsidiaries in other international markets today employs around 1,750 people and achieved sales of 505 million euros in 2021. Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG is the first and so far only large chocolate bar manufacturer to only purchase certified sustainable cocoa for the entire range, which includes the Ritter Sport and Amicelli brands. This corresponds to our own claim to do the right thing to make really good chocolate. The colorful Ritter Sport squares are sold in over 100 countries worldwide.
Contact
Alfred Ritter G
mbH & Co.KG
Thomas Seeger
Alfred-Ritter-Strasse 25
71111 Waldenbuch
Phone: +49 (0)7157 – 97-1176
Email: presse@ritter-sport.de
NIERAGDEN COMMUNICATION
Marc Alexander Nieragden
Eimsbuetteler Chaussee 81
20259 Hamburg
Phone: +49 (0)40 – 8797 69 68
Email: info@nieragden.com