Switzerland-based company Pronatec celebrated the opening of the country’s first fully organic cocoa processing plant last week.
Around 100 customers from the national and international chocolate and food industry attended the VIP celebration on Friday, while another 400 guests visited the factory during the opening part on Saturday.
Around 500 people took part in a guided tour of the new production facility and used the opportunity to taste organic cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder produced at the facility as well as chocolate from Pronatec’s own brand Amarru.
The new organic cocoa factory near Schaffhausen by the Rhine Falls was set up in an existing hall over a period of two years. The new plant meets strict organic and fair trade criteria, enabling direct traceability to the countries of origin. Around two tonnes of cocoa beans are produced per year.
The company’s main customers for cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder are customers from the chocolate, food and cosmetics industries in Switzerland, Europe, North America and Japan.
The company has been involved in the global organic and fair trade movement for some time. As of 2022, it processes organic cocoa beans into cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder at the processing plant. From procuring the beans from small-scale farmers, through fermentation and export to processing and sale of the finished product, all stages are in the “hands” of Pronatec, according to the company.
Since its founding in 1975, Pronatec has grown with its customers and as of 2022, employs approximately 60 people at its headquarters in Winerthur and around 30 at the production site near the Rhine Falls.
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Caitlin Gittins
Editor, International Confectionery
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