Zotter

The Zotter chocolate factory was founded in 1999 by Josef Zotter in the former stables of his parental farm in Riegersburg. Zotter and his wife had previously produced their own chocolate as the managers of a pastry shop in Graz, but had to face insolvency in 1996 after expanding too quickly. After moving back to his parents' farm in Riegersburg, Zotter decided to focus on chocolate and turned the farm's former stables into a small factory. With a large, experimental product range, Zotter managed to gain a foothold on the Austrian and German market. In 2002, Zotter created its first experiential retail section, a "tasting station" for the factory's visitors.

From 2004 to 2006, Zotter switched its entire product range to exclusively fairly traded and organic chocolate. Zotter has since opted for making separate contracts with small South American, African, and Asian farmers to directly source fairly traded cocoa.

In 2007, the chocolate factory in Riegersburg was expanded to allow for complete bean-to-bar manufacturing. The expanded factory included a new experiential retail section, which among other elements consists of a purpose-built cinema, an open view of the manufacturing process using elevated walkways across the factory floor, and several "tasting stations". In 2011, Zotter opened an "Edible Zoo" next to the chocolate factory, which serves products based on crops grown and livestock raised on the zoo premises. The Chocolate Factory and Experience World in Riegersburg is visited by approximately 220,000 tourists annually.

Since 2014, Zotter has expanded outside of Europe with the entry into the Chinese market - including the opening of a second Experience World in Shanghai in 2014 - and into the American market in 2015. The original Experience World in Riegersburg has been further expanded, adding among others a virtual reality experience, a miniature praline roller coaster, and a dentist's office serving exclusively sugar-free products.

Production

Zotter processes approximately 250 tons of cocoa beans annually, producing approximately 500 different types of chocolate. Zotter is a bean-to-bar manufacturer, producing chocolate by processing cocoa beans in-house, rather than melting pre-made chocolate into their own product. The company is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization and carries a EU certification for organic food.

Current product range

All Zotter wrappers have been designed by artist Andreas H. Gratze since 1994.

Hand-scooped chocolates: chocolate bars filled with several, often experimental ingredients

Drinking chocolates: chocolate bars for melting in hot milk