Zotter Schokoladen Manufaktur
Zotter Schokoladen Manufaktur is a manufacturer of chocolates founded in 1999 by Josef Zotter. Its headquarters is in the small village of Bergl near Riegersburg, a municipality in the Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria. Annually, around 300 tonnes of cocoa beans and 150 tonnes of cocoa butter are turned into 600 tonnes of chocolate, served in the form of more than 400 varieties of chocolate, pralines, drinking chocolate and other types of chocolate. Zotter is a bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer, carrying out the entire chocolate production process on site within the company: from roasting  cocoa beans on rollers to grinding in the conche. According to the book "Chocolate - the reference standard. The Chocolate Tester 2015", Zotter ranks among the world's best chocolate producers. 550 brands from 70 countries and 4,000 products are tested by author Georg Bernardini, a confectioner himself and business consultant, for the 919-page book. History. In 1987 Josef Zotter and his wife Ulrike opened the Zotter Konditorei confectionery in Graz, southern Austria. Zotter's created confectioneries like the “Hemp Bar” and the “Funny Cake”. He expanded, opening three more branches. Zotter began to produce chocolate in a back room  of their confectionery in 1992. He created hand-scooped chocolate with layered centers and a new 70-gram bar without the customary cubic break-off shape. Amongst others the first range of flavors included pumpkin, marzipan and dried fruit. Two years later art designer Andreas H. Gratze designed artful wrappings and named the chocolate bars. In 1996, Zotter went into administration and closed three branches. In 1998, a new product range of drinking chocolates was introduced in the shape of hand-scooped chocolate bars. After that Zotter decided to only produce chocolate and opened the Zotter Chocolate Manufactory in 1999 . Demand for Zotter's chocolate increased and the factory was expanded. The manufactory was converted into a bean-to-bar production house by Josef Zotter in 2007. He also launched the Chocolate Theatre where visitors can experience chocolate production from beginning to end. The first chocolate bar created at his bean-to-bar factory was a pure chocolate bar called Labooko. In 2011, the Edible Zoo, a farm which is an open air section of the Chocolate Theatre, was opened. In 2015, Zotter ranked among the world's best 25 chocolate producers from 70 countries. In 2016 two gold, eight  silver and five bronze medals were awarded to Zotter chocolates. Philosophy. The chocolate factory produces 365 different chocolates with individual tastes. Its production is in-house and it does bean-to-bar chocolate production. There are many varieties like cheese chocolate, fish chocolate and wine chocolate. The chocolate wrappings were created by Andreas H. Gratze. All Zotter products claim to be "organic and fair-trade", in the belief that quality begins with the ingredients, so they claim to "work together with small farmers and invite them to the factory". External links. dei beidl falt