Sustainable growth - investments in energy and raw material procurement secure the future

26-Jan-2024

Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG records slight volume and turnover growth for 2023. Turnover will increase by five percent to 565 million euros (2022: 538 million euros). The family-owned company is thus continuing the positive development of recent years in a challenging market environment.

While Ritter had to accept a slight decline in sales in its home market of Germany due to temporary delivery stops, numerous foreign markets such as Austria, Italy, Denmark and the UK continued to develop well. The export ratio of the company from Waldenbuch in Swabia will therefore rise to around 60 percent in 2023.

Although the 2023 result is no cause for jumping for joy, it is certainly satisfactory in view of the challenging business environment, explains Ritter CEO Andreas Ronken, who has formulated clear goals for the current year: "Internationally, we continue to see considerable growth potential, which we will exploit." The family-owned company recently founded its own marketing subsidiary in the USA and intends to work the North American market more intensively in future. "With Ritter Sport Duo, we are once again demonstrating our innovative strength, which, together with our willingness to make bold, unconventional decisions and a clear compass, forms the foundation for sustainable growth," Ronken continues.

Ambitious procurement strategy for energy and cocoa
According to Ronken, cocoa procurement and energy supply are of central importance for the future viability of the family business. Ritter consistently pursues its own strategy in both areas and made significant progress last year. With the commissioning of two of its own wind turbines in Münchberg, Bavaria, and a four-hectare solar park in the district of Regensburg, the company has taken further steps towards its own energy transition and is now able to cover over 50 percent of its electricity requirements with self-generated energy from renewable sources. The company, which is known for its environmental commitment, has pledged to reduce its emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) by 42% by 2030 compared to 2021. This ambitious target was successfully validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2023. For the family-owned company, investing in the transformation process towards climate neutrality within its own value chain is an investment in the future and a contribution to the fight against climate change, which is already clearly noticeable in cocoa-growing countries. Climate-friendly, sustainable cultivation methods are therefore also at the heart of the cocoa programs that Ritter has established in all countries from which the company sources cocoa. With its long-term partnership model, Ritter relies on direct cooperation with cocoa farmers in Latin America and West Africa. All cocoa for Ritter Sport chocolate can be traced back to the producer organization. Ritter aims to guarantee traceability down to the individual farm by 2025.

Market leader for vegan chocolate bars and innovation driver
The Cacao-Nica program, with which Ritter has been promoting sustainable cocoa cultivation in Nicaragua for over 30 years, is regarded as a prototype for this type of partnership-based cooperation. Today, around 3,000 farmers in the Central American country supply cocoa to the German chocolate manufacturer, which uses Nica cocoa for its vegan range, among other things. At the beginning of this year, Ritter launched its sixth vegan variety, Crispy Cookie, and has been the market leader in the vegan chocolate bar segment in Germany since 2023.

The family business is hoping for a similar success story with a world first, also launched at the beginning of 2024: Ritter Sport Duo is the first chocolate bar to combine two varieties. Four bars, eight varieties - variety redefined.

In view of the current high cocoa and sugar prices, Ronken does not expect 2024 to be a quiet year either, but is nevertheless optimistic: "Especially in turbulent times, it is clear that our strategy of long-term, partnership-based supply relationships is the right one. This type of close cooperation makes our supply chains more resilient. In the end, everyone involved benefits from this."

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1182569/sustainable-growth-investments-in-energy-and-raw-material-procurement-secure-the-future.html