Shellac is a purely natural, biologically degradable, and physiologically harmless substance. Shellac became famous when records were first made. However, it is also frequently used in the food industry. It is used, for example, in combination with beeswax to prevent fruit from drying out.

Shellac, is produced by the scale insect, Kerria Lacca, which inhabits, for example, poplar figs in Southeast Asia. The insect stings the tree on which it lives, sucks out its juice, and secretes a resin-like substance. To make shellac, branches coated with the resin are cut off and the resin is separated from the wood. It is then ground, washed, and laid out in the sun to dry. A second cleaning step involves the shellac being dissolved in alcohol, released from waxes, decolourised by activated charcoal, and then dried in sheets.

The production of shellac is very elaborate. The resin of approximately 300,000 Kerria Laca insects is needed to harvest one kilogram of shellac. A lot of effort, but one that is worth it. We cover the whole hazelnuts used in our RITTER SPORT Dark Whole Hazelnuts with shellac. This provides the best possible protection against so-called “blooms”. These are the appearance of fatty spots on the surface of chocolate. A small detail, but one we take seriously.