Alfred Ritter - A name with tradition.
Alfred Ritter - A name with tradition.
Since there has been RITTER SPORT, there has been the name Alfred Ritter. Since the company’s founding in 1912 the company’s proprietors have not only passed on the family-owned private limited company from generation to generation, but also their name. Perhaps it is a coincidence, or perhaps it is a question of taste. The family’s way of thinking, however, is not: The belief in and love of good chocolate are closely tied to the Ritter name.
Undisputed is the fact that each of the three “Alfred Ritters” has made a crucial step forward with the RITTER SPORT company and brand. Alfred Eugen Ritter made the first step by founding the company. His contribution has probably been the most important: He married the right woman. Ultimately it was Clara Ritter’s (née Göttle) ingenious idea to manufacture a chocolate in square form and so invent the RITTER SPORT chocolate. Under Alfred Eugen Ritter’s leadership the company expanded so fast that in 1930 the company had to relocate from Cannstatt to Waldenbuch.
His son, Alfred Otto Ritter, expanded the business-with-the-square-bars. Step-by-step he gradually phased out all other articles, such as long bars, pralines and hollow chocolate figures from their range, and placed the focus on the RITTER SPORT 100g square. In 1974 he revolutionised the chocolate market with the introduction of the “brightly coloured range”, and in 1976, with the introduction of the snap-open pack. In doing so he laid the most important corner stones for today's brand. Under his leadership the brand established itself nation-wide in Germany, with the slogan “QUALITY. CHOCOLATE. SQUARED.”
In 1983 Alfred Theodor Ritter took over as chairman of the Advisory Committee, and in 2005 the management of the company. Together with his sister, Marli Hoppe-Ritter, who currently chairs the Advisory Committee, they run the Swabian family-owned private limited company, now in its third generation. With growing success - today you can enjoy RITTER SPORT chocolate in 80 countries. And through innovations like the RITTER SPORT Mini Chocolate, the RITTER SPORT 250g Big Chocolate, and the RITTER SPORT Schokowürfel, the brand has kept growing over the years.
The special focus of the two has been on traditional values like the continuous development of taste and quality of RITTER SPORT chocolate. And at the same time, on only using high-quality ingredients like carefully selected hazelnuts, or genuine fine marzipan. But also, the environmental responsibility of a large company is taken very seriously at RITTER SPORT. In 1991 a changeover to fully recyclable single-material packaging made from polypropylene had been implemented, which reduced materials consumption by approximately 1000 tonnes per year. Meanwhile, the company has its own combined heating and power station, and a solar energy plant. Remaining energy needs are met with the use of green electricity. The combined heating and power station alone amounts to a reduction of 6,800 tonnes of CO ² per year being released into the environment.
Linking grandfather, father and son since 1912 is the demand for high quality and the Ritter family quality guarantee. It stands for care and passion in the selection and processing of ingredients into the best quality chocolate. Because Ritters happily break bars of chocolate, but never a promise.
