Ritter Sport

Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG
Private
Industry Food industry
Founded 1912
Founder Clara Ritter, Alfred Eugen Ritter
Headquarters Waldenbuch, Germany
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Andreas Ronken (CEO)
€430 million (2014)
Website ritter-sport.com

Ritter Sport is a brand of chocolate from Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Waldenbuch, Germany.

Each 100 gram square-shaped bar is divided into 16 smaller squares, creating a four-by-four pattern. In 2013 the company introduced a new version that is divided into 9 smaller squares using a three-by-three pattern. Large bars weighing 250 grams and 16.5 gram mini bars are also available, although in fewer varieties.

History

In 1912, Alfred Ritter and newly wedded wife, Clara, founded a chocolate factory in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt. Later it introduced its own brand of chocolate named "Alrika (Alfred Ritter Cannstatt)." When production needs required a factory expansion, the company moved to Waldenbuch in 1930, a couple of miles outside Stuttgart. The chocolate brand Ritter's Sport Schokolade produced as the square tablet known today was launched in 1932 after Clara suggested creating a chocolate bar that would fit into every sport jacket pocket without breaking.[1]

The company's current 3rd generation owners are Alfred T. Ritter and his sister Marli Hoppe-Ritter. In 1990 they launched project(s) "Cacaonica", which supports organic cocoa agriculture and reforestation in Nicaragua and "Ritter Solar" now the European market leader of solar thermal products and Large solar thermal systems. The Ritter company owns a CHP power plant and buys additional electricity from renewable resources. The monomaterial chocolate packaging is designed to minimize its ecological footprint.

On the whole, their products are neither certified organic nor certified fair trade. However, in April 2008 they launched an organic product line called "Ritter Sport Bio".


Struggles During the Depression and World War II

The onset of the Great Depression in the fall of 1929 was a gift and a challenge at the same time. On one hand, it provided opportunities to acquire financially struggling businesses. On the other hand, the demand for sweets dropped significantly. After considering a number of manufacturing sites that had been put up for sale at the beginning of the economic crisis, the Ritters decided to move their business to Waldenbuch, a picturesque town of 2,500 south of Stuttgart. The factory they first leased and later bought was built as a chocolate factory, and the property seemed to be spacious enough to contain future expansions. On July 1st, 1930, all production operations were moved to the new location.

Expanding the business at the peak of an economic depression was a bold move. To make sure that their skilled workers remained loyal to the company, they were shuttled back and forth between Bad Cannstadt and Waldenbuch by bus every day. At times, production was completely shut down to weather the crisis. Extra space on the property was utilized to grow different kinds of berries which were used to make fruit-flavored cream fillings. Not surprisingly, with fixed costs up and cash flow down, the Ritters ended up deeply in the red.

Despite all difficulties, Alfred and Clara Ritter kept up faith in their business. Soon after the move to Waldenbuch, they decided to start manufacturing solid chocolate bars in four varieties. Two years later, they added another chocolate product. As the story goes, Clara Ritter suggested making a solid chocolate bar that would fit in any jacket pocket without breaking. Unlike the common rectangular shape, this chocolate bar was square. To distinguish it from the conventional bars, it was called Ritter's Sportschokolade--Ritter's Sports Chocolate. The new launch was soon supported by advertising posters for display windows and by commercials in movie theaters. However, Ritter's Sportschokolade was only one among about 100 different products of its kind.

The suffering of the masses stirred up enormous political tension in Germany and helped launch one of the darkest chapters in the nation's history. In 1933, the leader of the National Socialist Party, Adolf Hitler, became the new German chancellor. At first, his massive, government-subsidized job creation campaign helped curb the unemployment rate. However, after a couple of years, as the Nazis gained more control over Germany's economic affairs, new economic problems began to surface. The Ritter chocolate and candy factory recovered somewhat between 1933 and 1935. In 1935, the German government started cutting back on cocoa imports. Ritter was not able to buy enough cocoa and other raw material and began to launch candy products made from less restricted materials, such as jelly beans, fruit gum products, and candy sticks.

After World War II began in September 1939, it became increasingly difficult to maintain production. Many male workers were drafted into the army and raw materials became even more scarce. In 1940, production operations were shut down in Waldenbuch. Until the end of the war, the premises of the Alfred Ritter chocolate and candy factory were used by other businesses. For a limited time, electric appliances manufacturer AEG turned the Ritters' factory into a site for making replacement parts for certain weapons. Later, the company's premises were employed as a warehouse. Even immediately after the war ended in 1945, the chocolate factory was used by another manufacturer to make toothpaste.

Museum

The Ritter museum is a "homage to the square"—to describe the Sammlung Marli Hoppe-Ritter. The collection consists of nearly 600 paintings, objects, sculptures and graphic works, a breadth of painterly and sculptural confrontation with the square form used as the design for the Ritter chocolate. Ritter's factory is located in Waldenbuch, outside Stuttgart. They have shops and museums in Waldenbuch and Berlin that are open to visitors. The museum provides children with an interactive environment where they are presented with the opportunity to learn about how chocolate is made at the factory.[2]

Varieties

Ritter Sport Minis
  1. Vollmilch – Plain milk chocolate (Royal Blue Wrapper, see image)
  2. Schoko-Duo – Plain milk chocolate and white chocolate (Royal Blue Wrapper with chocolate bar on outside)
  3. Dunkle Vollmilch – Plain medium dark chocolate, 40% cacao (Azure Blue Wrapper)
  4. Halbbitter – Plain dark chocolate, 50% cacao (Burgundy Wrapper)
  5. Edelbitter – Plain dark chocolate, 71% cacao (Pink Wrapper)
  6. Knusperkeks – Milk chocolate with a butter biscuit (Brown Wrapper)
  7. Pfefferminz – Chocolate with peppermint filling (Caribbean Green Wrapper)
  8. Joghurt – Yogurt (White Wrapper, see image)
  9. Erdbeer Joghurt – Milk chocolate strawberry and yogurt filling (Light Pink Wrapper)
  10. Voll-Nuss – Milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts (Brown Wrapper with Hazelnut-Pattern)
  11. Dunkle Voll-Nuss – Dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts (Dark Brown Wrapper with Hazelnut-Pattern)
  12. Weiße Voll-Nuss – White chocolate with whole hazelnuts (White/Cream Wrapper with Hazelnut-Pattern)
  13. Knusperflakes – Milk chocolate with corn flakes (Golden Yellow Wrapper)
  14. Voll Erdnuss – Milk chocolate with whole peanuts (Orange Wrapper)
  15. Ganze Mandel – Milk chocolate with whole almonds (Dark Green Wrapper)
  16. Marzipan – Dark chocolate with marzipan center (Red Wrapper, see image)
  17. Cocos – Milk chocolate with flakes of coconut in the center (Silver Wrapper)
  18. Trauben-Nuss – Milk chocolate with raisins and hazelnut pieces (Carmine Red Wrapper)
  19. Rum Trauben Nuss – Milk chocolate with rum-soaked raisins and hazelnut pieces (Crimson Red Wrapper)
  20. Cappuccino – Milk chocolate and cappuccino cream (Amber Wrapper)
  21. Alpenmilch – Special milk chocolate with high alpine milk proportion (Sky Blue Wrapper)
  22. Nugat – Milk chocolate with hazelnut-nougat center (Midnight Blue Wrapper)
  23. Feinherb à la Mousse au Chocolat – dark chocolate filled with chocolate mousse (Bistre Wrapper)
  24. Williams Birne Trüffel – dark chocolate filled with Poire Williams pear brandy mousse
  25. Karamel Nuss – Milk Chocolate with butter caramel cream dropped hazelnuts and crispy rice (Golden yellow wrapper)
  26. Haselnuss – Milk chocolate with chopped hazelnuts (Green wrapper, see image)
  27. Neapolitan – Milk Chocolate with neapolitan wafers, made with a hazelnut cream filled wafers and praline. (medium dark orange wrapper)
  28. Noisette – Hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate. (light green wrapper)
  29. Kakao-Mousse – Whipped Cream Cocoa in Alpine Milk Chocolate. (Brown Wrapper)
  30. Kakao-Keks – Dark chocolate with cookie center. (Brown Wrapper with cookie background)
  31. Karamell – Milk chocolate with caramel filling. (Orange wrapper)
  32. Olympia – Milk Chocolate with yoghurt, honey, and glucose. (Gold Wrapper)
  33. Honig Salz Mandel – Milk chocolate with salted almonds and honey. (Orange wrapper)
  34. Knusper Tortilla Chips – Milk chocolate with corn tortilla chips. (Orange wrapper)

Special varieties

From time to time, various special and limited edition flavours are released, sometimes with seasonal themes. For example, Marc de Champagne contained a truffle-like center with a champagne flavour and 'Yogurt ai Frutti di Bosco' contained a punchy sour berry center to complement the sweet milk chocolate. Three limited edition flavoured bars are released each season; the two most successful flavours are carried on to the next year's seasonal release, while the third flavour is something new.

2009 varieties

  1. Himbeer Joghurt – Raspberry-flavored yogurt filling in a yogurt and white chocolate coating.
  2. Waldbeer Joghurt – Raspberry-, blackberry- and blueberry-flavored yogurt filling in milk chocolate coating.
  3. Pfirsich-Maracuja Joghurt – Peach- and passionfruit-flavored yogurt filling in a yogurt and white chocolate coating.

2010 varieties

  1. Stracciatella – Chocolate morsels in milk creme filling with a milk chocolate coating.
  2. Waldbeer Joghurt – Raspberry-, blackberry- and blueberry-flavored yogurt filling in milk chocolate coating.
  3. Pfirsich-Maracuja Joghurt – Peach- and passionfruit-flavored yogurt filling in a yogurt and white chocolate coating.

2011 varieties

  1. Alpensahne Praline – Alpine milk chocolate with praline creme.
  2. Weiss + Crisp – White chocolate with crisp.
  3. Haselnusse Krokant – Milk chocolate with crispy hazelnuts.
  4. Keks + Nuss – Milk chocolate with crunchy hazelnuts and cookie bits.

2012 varieties

Spring

  1. Bourbon Vanille – Milk chocolate with a bourbon-vanille creme filling.
  2. Haselnuss Krokant – Milk chocolate with a hazelnut creme, hazelnut and almond brittle and rice cereal.
  3. Kakaosplitter – Milk chocolate with a chocolate creme filling, cocoa nibs and hazelnut-almond pieces.

Summer

  1. White Coconut – White chocolate with toasted coconut and rice flakes.
  2. Wildberry Yogurt – Milk chocolate with a strawberry, blueberry and blackberry yogurt filling.
  3. Amarena Kirsch – Milk chocolate with an Amarena cherry creme filling.

Winter

  1. Coconut Macaroon – Milk chocolate with a buttery coconut cream filling with coconut flakes.
  2. Caramelized Almond – Milk chocolate with caramelized almond pieces.
  3. Dark Nougat Cream – Milk chocolate with a creamy dark chocolate nougat filling.

2013 varieties

Spring

  1. à la Crema Catalana – Milk chocolate with caramel flavoured milk creme.
  2. Cookies and Cream – Milk chocolate filled with a vanilla cream filling with pieces of chocolate cookie.
  3. Kakaosplitter – Milk chocolate with a chocolate creme filling, cocoa nibs and hazelnut-almond pieces.

Summer

  1. Erdbeer Vanille-Waffel – Milk chocolate with strawberry and vanilla wafer.
  2. Himbeer-Cranberry Joghurt – Milk chocolate with raspberry-cranberry yoghurt.
  3. White Coconut – White chocolate with toasted coconut and rice flakes.

Winter

  1. Caramelized Almond – Milk chocolate with caramelized almond pieces.
  2. Caramel Orange – Milk chocolate with an orange caramel cream filling.
  3. Coconut Macaroon – Milk chocolate with a buttery coconut cream filling with coconut flakes.

2014 varieties

Spring

  1. à la Crema Catalana – Milk chocolate with caramel flavoured milk creme.
  2. Cookies and Cream – Milk chocolate filled with a vanilla cream filling with pieces of chocolate cookie.
  3. Meringue Nut – Milk chocolate with meringue pieces and toasted hazelnut pieces.

Summer

  1. Erdbeer Vanille-Waffel – Milk chocolate with strawberry and vanilla wafer.
  2. Himbeer-Cranberry Joghurt – Milk chocolate with raspberry-cranberry yoghurt.
  3. Eiscafé – Milk chocolate with a coffee and vanilla flavoured filling.

Organic varieties

  1. Mandelsplitter – Milk chocolate with chopped almonds.
  2. Macadamia – Milk chocolate with chopped macadamia nuts.
  3. Trauben-Cashew – Milk chocolate with chopped cashew nuts and raisins.
  4. Vollmilch 35% – Milk chocolate with 35% cacao.
  5. Feinherb 60% – Dark chocolate with 60% cacao.

Slogans

Motto 1

Motto 2

"Qualität im Quadrat."

Literal translation used on English language packaging: "Quality in a square." English packaging now features "Quality. Chocolate. Squared." to provide a similar description.

Motto 3

"Knick Knack auf Zack."

Literal translation in English language would be: "fold and snap to be prepared." The first two terms are the clicking noises that you are supposed to hear when breaking the chocolate bar twice in the middle - knick is from the German verb knicken (to bend something), Knack means snap/click and "auf Zack sein" means on one's toes / ready and waiting / prepared / set / arranged. This motto aired on German TV in the early 1990s.

Mascot

Ritter Sport is sometimes represented by "Quadrago", a banner-carrying baby dragon. This may be partly attributed to the German word "Ritter" meaning "Knight".

References

  1. ↑ "Our chocolate history". ritter-sport.
  2. ↑ "SchokoladenMuseum von Ritter Sport - FamilienkulTour". www.familienkultour.de. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
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