Zotter’s chocolate factory

    The visitor may experience the creation of the chocolate from the bean to the finished bar. The raw cocoa comes from Latin America, all the suppliers are certified as organic and fair trade.

The guided tour starts with a brief welcome by an employee and the Coca Film. Afterwards you will walk in the footsteps of Zotter chocolate in the company (using an audio guide) and gain insight into all production processes from the roasting, via the milling up to the conching and taste intermediate products such as cocoa nibs or roller powder.

    The entire Zotter range including rarities like Bird’s Eye Chili and Marc de Champagne is produced in ORGANIC quality. “For us it was important to not merely produce a niche product with an organic label, but to shift the entire range to organic cultivation. Since we have built on quality and regional culture right from the start and refrained from the use of preservatives, artificial flavours and similar shiny products from the chemical industry, it was a matter of consistently pursuing our organic philosophy.”

Since 2004 Zotter has been a permanent licence partner of FAIRTRADE Austria. Zotter acquires the basic raw materials such as cocoa and cane sugar from fair trade in organic quality. Since according to Josef Zotter, “as cocoa processing company we carry the responsibility for the living and working conditions of the cocoa farmers in Third World countries.

Fair trade creates opportunities for small farmers and plantation workers in the producing countries. They are able to emancipate themselves from fluctuating world market prices and establish their own self-determined existence in which child labour and environmental exploitation are foreign words.” Solar & Geothermal Energy: The entire production runs on eco-power. The Edible Zoo is selfsufficient, as its power is supplied by a photo-voltaic system generating approximately 100,000 kW/h. 9 PV movers with a total peak output of 64.8 kW keep turning towards the sun like sunflowers to maximise efficiency. Surplus energy is fed into the workshop where the chocolate is made, supplying up to 60 per cent of its energy demand in combination with the steam-driven power station. The remaining 40 per cent are supplied by Oekostrom GmbH from renewable sources.
Far from being regarded as waste, even cocoa bean shells are either converted into thermal energy in the company’s steam-driven power station or used as fertiliser for the vegetable patches in the Edible Zoo.The hot-water supply is powered by geothermal energy.
Spring Water & Organic Food: We source drinking water from our own spring and collect rain water for our agricultural operation in the Edible Zoo. Every day our employees get a freshly prepared free organic meal consisting of homemade pasta, freshly milled grain and meat and fruit from our own organic agricultural operation in the Edible Zoo.
Bioplastics & Non-Glossy Packaging: We use bioplastics made by Biomat (www.biomat.info)from renewable sources for our packaging needs. We would prefer not to use any film packaging at all, but unfortunately there is currently no viable alternative for companies operating in the food sector. Our packaging is made from environmentally friendly paper without glossy coating and printed with environmentally friendly colours. Although the decision to use uncoated rather than high-gloss paper did result in a temporary drop in sales, we stuck with it and our sales figures soon got back to normal.
E-mobility: Josef Zotter drives an electric Vauxhall Ampera to work. The company is currently in the process of converting its entire vehicle fleet to electric cars and already has more electric than petrolfuelled cars on the road.
Self-sufficiency: Zotter’s personal energy supply is completely self-sufficient – he even produces more power than he needs. His organic farm at home and his Edible Zoo, which supplies the company’s cafeteria, make him self-sufficient in every respect.
Zotter has been awarded the Trigos Prize for Corporate Social Responsibility several times. Zotter products are consistently rated as “excellent” in the Greenpeace Market Check for social as well as ecological aspects – ingredients, transport, packaging, GM, animal welfare – and are sometimes the only company to achieve that score.
2012 Zotter is awarded certification as a Climate Alliance Partner.