The history of RITTER SPORT begins where most romance films stop: with marriage. In 1912 marry the confectioner Alfred Eugen Ritter and Clara Göttle, owner of a confectionery shop. Together they found the chocolate and confectionary factory "Alfred Ritter Cannstatt" – the love of good chocolate, therefore, resides in the family.
We invite you to have a look at the most chocolaty milestone of the 20th century!

Alfred Eugen Ritter

Clara Ritter, née Göttle

The first stage of the chocolate and confectionary factory founded by Alfred Eugen Ritter and Clara Ritter, née Göttle: Inner Moltkestraße in Bad Cannstatt.

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Increasing sales and correspondingly greater production needs necessitate a move to Wilhelmstraße 16 in Bad Cannstatt. The Ritter family brings its own chocolate brand on the market: Alrika (Alfred Ritter Cannstatt).

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Now there are already 40 male and female employees working at the chocolate and confectionary factory "Alfred Ritter Cannstatt".

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Meanwhile 80 people now work at the company. The threshold from hand production to industrialised operation is crossed. The company’s first lorry is purchased.

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Lack of space in Bad Cannstatt prohibits the company from developing further. Despite difficult economic conditions the move to idyllic Waldenbuch takes place. Every day the employees, who are skilled and trained, are back driven by bus back and forth between Bad Cannstatt and Waldenbuch.

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The chocolate square is launched. Clara Ritter’s proposal to produce a square chocolate bar quickly meets with agreement in the family. Her argument: “We’ll make a chocolate that fits into every sports jacket pocket, doesn’t break, and still weighs the same as a normal long bar of chocolate.” The chocolate square is named, “Ritter's Sport Chocolate”. Also in the assortment: Long chocolate bars, praline, Easter and Christmas articles.

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With the breakout of World War Two chocolate production must be reduced and from 1940 stopped completely.

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Alfred Ritter Chocolate Manufacturers begins again with the production of different sweets, without cocoa.

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Cocoa is once again available without restriction. The company is able to produce freely.

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The company founder, Alfred Eugen Ritter, dies at the age of 66 years old. His son Alfred Otto Ritter takes over the running of the business.

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The business has already over 100 employees. A production record is celebrated: four tonnes of chocolate bars in a single day.

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At the age of 82 years old, firm founder Clara Ritter dies.

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Alfred Otto Ritter decides to concentrate on the chocolate square. Many articles, like e.g. seasonal articles, long chocolate bars, pralines, and hollow chocolate figures are gradually fazed out of the programme. In doing so, he lays the foundation stone for the successful development of the RITTER SPORT brand. The square presents itself in a chocolate-brown cellophane wrapper with the prominent RITTER SPORT logo.

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An important year for the family-owned company: The company acquires national recognition. The introduction of innovative RITTER SPORT Yoghurt – the first chocolate made with yoghurt in Germany – and the first countrywide television commercial bring about a national break-through. The modern, cheery, and singular advertising concept, along with the memorable slogan, “QUALITY. CHOCOLATE. SQUARED.”, underscores what’s special about the RITTER SPORT brand.

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The turnover threshold of 100m Deutschmarks is crossed. The market share among chocolate bars exceeds 10%.

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A revolution in the chocolate market: Entrepreneur Alfred Otto Ritter makes the courageous decision to introduce “the colourful range”. Each variety receives its own characteristic, cheerful colour. On advertising posters you can read the line that, among other things, alludes to the still quite recent introduction of colour television: „Everything is becoming more colourful, cheerier, more modern, more active - including chocolate.“ Another building block of the brand is created.

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"Der Trick mit dem Knick, und die Masche mit der Tasche" ("The pack with the snap that's the packet in the pocket"): The invention of the specially sealed wrapper with the revolutionary snap-open pack completely sets RITTER SPORT apart from traditional chocolate bars and quickly develops into the brand’s characterising feature.

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The company, which, after the death of Alfred Otto Ritter, was at first continued by his wife Marta, changes hands to the family’s third generation: Alfred Theodor Ritter and his sister Marli Hoppe-Ritter are active in the company’s Advisory Committee.

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The product range is expanded around the 100g square: The Mini Chocolate comes onto the market.

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Alfred Theodor Ritter is appointed Chair of the Advisory Committee.

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The company now employs 710 male and female employees and generates a turnover of nearly 400m DM. The exports account for 10%.

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RITTER SPORT compiles the first environmental performance evaluation for sales packing and changes over from composite materials to the full-recyclable RITTER SPORT single-material packaging, made out of polypropylene.

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In this year, the certification and introduction of a quality management system, in accordance to DIN EN ISO 9001, take place, with the aim to inwardly and outwardly clearly communicate high quality claims.

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With the development of summer-light white chocolate made with yoghurt, yoghurt-lemon and yoghurt-orange, RITTER SPORT manages the successful introduction of the Summer Chocolate.

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RITTER SPORT is the first company in the confectionary industry to successfully take part in the Ecological Audit Regulation. Doing so meant the company organized environmental protection at company level, within the framework of a comprehensive management system.

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For the first time in its history RITTER SPORT exceeds the half-billion mark with a turnover of 507m DM. The 100g chocolate bars count for a market share of 22% in the food retail trade.

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RITTER SPORT’S selection of squares is extended: Diet chocolate with a high-quality sugar substitute, Maltitol, is used in four flavours of the assortment.

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The “RITTER SPORT Chocolate Shop” visitors’ centre is opened: It vividly and interactively presents the production of chocolate as well as RITTER SPORT’S history.

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The RITTER SPORT combined heating and power station comes onstream: allowing the company to produce approx. 30% of its electricity, as well as approx. 70% of its heating needs, itself. Particularly environmentally friendly: Heat is a deliberate “waste product” of generating electricity that can now be used for heating purposes. Through this system of cogeneration RITTER SPORT annually saves approx. 12m kWh of primary energy, (this corresponds to approx. 1m litres of heating oil), and in the same period reduces its CO2 emissions by approx. 6,800 tonnes.

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RITTER SPORT also meet people’s taste abroad: The chocolate square is now enjoyed in over 70 countries. And yet another devolpment: RITTER SPORT creates the smallest square, the chocolate cube, in 6 delicious varieties.

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Alfred Theodor Ritter takes over the chairmanship of the company and so continues, as grandson of the company’s founder, the family tradition. Under one roof and directly next to the company’s grounds, the new RITTER MUSEUM and the extended RITTER SPORT chocolate shop open their gates to visitors in the autumn.

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Classic Alpine Milk, Yoghurt, Whole Hazelnuts, and Praline in 250g squares offer new dimensions in pleasure.

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In terms of RITTER SPORT’S high quality claims even successful varieties are reviewed, so that in the long term they can become even better. In 2007 the fillings of both the Yoghurt and Cappuccino varieties can be perfected. Freeze-dried pieces of fruit are used for the first time in summer varieties. The switch from nature-identical flavourings to 100% natural flavourings takes place.

The best ingredients for the best RITTER SPORT quality. Today and in the future: QUALITY. CHOCOLATE. SQUARED.

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New– delicious – contemporary: Starting from April 2008 there will be a delicious organic chocolate assortment from RITTER SPORT.

With the best ingredients from supervised organic farming, classic recipes, RITTER SPORT’S complete authority in matters of chocolate, as well as a modern wrapper design, the new chocolate squares will be totally in vogue.

Everything about our new organic chocolates as well as lots of interesting and noteworthy information on the topic of organic is available here (in German).

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