Our Farm El Cacao

Our Farm

EL CACAO

OUR FARM
EL CACAO

Our heart beats for chocolate and to make it particularly delicious, we even grow our own cocoa – on our El Cacao farm in Nicaragua. Since 2012, we have been developing a cocoa farm on former pasture land into a good place for cocoa, people and nature.

1,200

HECTARES OF PROTECTED FOREST AREA

Icon: Two trees.

30,000

SHADE TREES

Icon: Two trees.

1 MIO.

COCOA TREES

Icon: Hand holding a little tree.

2,500

HECTARES IN TOTAL

Icon: Tree with clouds.

1,200

HECTARES OF CULTIVATED AREA

Icon: Bee on a leaf.
Icon: Cocoa bag.

10

YEARS

OF OWN COCOA

YEARS 

OF OWN COCOA

10
Icon: Cocoa bag.

2,500
HECTARES
IN TOTAL

Icon: trees with clouds around.

1,200 

HECTARES OF
PROTECTED
FOREST AREA

Icon: twoe trees.

30,000

SHADE TREES

Icon: two tress.

1,200

HECTARES OF
CULTIVATED AREA

Icon: Bee with leaves.

1 MIO.

COCOA TREES

Icon: Hand holding a little tree.

Our heart beats for chocolate and to make it particularly delicious, we even grow our own cocoa – on our El Cacao farm in Nicaragua. Since 2012, we have been developing a cocoa farm on former pasture land into a good place for cocoa, people and nature.

Good Soil for

GOOD COCOA

IN 2012


We took over land whose soil had been severely affected by previous intensive livestock farming. Soil erosion and the loss of humus layers were also due to previous slash-and-burn farming methods.

AFTER 2 – 4 YEARS


By establishing a mixed culture with cocoa trees and a variety of other plants, as well as measures such as composting and soil liming, we managed to restore and strengthen the soil structure.

TODAY


There is active soil life on El Cacao once again. Thanks to the development of the agricultural land in an agroforestry system with several levels of shade, we have developed a sustainable, resilient and CO2-positive cultivation system. The rich diversity of plants and animals shows that EL Cacao is a good place. No wonder our sloth and Ritter Sport ambassador Don Schoko and his friends have made their home here. 

Discover our
FARM IN 360°

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Good Soil for
GOOD COCOA

What makes El Cacao special

GOOD FOR PEOPLE

GOOD FOR PEOPLE

What makes
El Cacao special

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"LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR THE PEOPLE
HERE"

Hauke Will

Head of Agricultural Production
at Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG

"LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR THE PEOPLE HERE"

Hauke Will, Head of Agricultural Production at Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG

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  • Men playing baseball on a field at El Cacao

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  • A man in a red shirt stands behind a counter with cocoa fruits on it

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MATT NOVAK

Gerente General Agricola Ritter Sport Nicaragua S.A.

“El Cacao is a special place. With the Ritter family, we have an owner here who is willing to leave half of the land to nature. One who is willing to invest in young people.”

YADIRA RAMIREZ

Employee in post-harvest treatment at El Cacao

“El Cacao represents a great opportunity. For me personally, because I can develop career-wise. But also for the whole country, because here we have the opportunity to advance cocoa cultivation in my home country under good ecological and social conditions.”

HAUKE WILL

Director Agricultural Production at Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG

“The greatest success of El Cacao is that we have managed to bring together Nicaraguan cocoa knowledge and German technical expertise to create something completely new together. We are also developing knowledge here that will benefit farmers in other regions of the world. Knowledge that makes us a competent partner.”

  • RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER – SOCIAL BENEFITS AND SECURITY

    Around 400 people now work on El Cacao, where they not only receive comprehensive social benefits, but also a secure job in every sense of the word. The farm’s own medical station ensures that employees receive medical care. 

  • OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION – LA ACADEMIA

    We also invest in the education and professional development of our employees at El Cacao. Because the infrastructure for this is lacking locally, we have set up our own “La Academia”. Join us for a day on El Cacao. 

What makes El Cacao special

GOOD FOR NATURE

  • EL CACAO IS A CLIMATE-POSITIVE PLANTATION

    The cocoa cultivation on El Cacao is a climate-positive system on its 1200 hectares in an agroforestry system, which means that: 

  • RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER – SOCIAL BENEFITS AND SECURITY

    Around 400 people now work on El Cacao, where they not only receive comprehensive social benefits, but also a secure job in every sense of the word. The farm’s own medical station ensures that employees receive medical care. 

  • OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION – LA ACADEMIA

    We also invest in the education and professional development of our employees at El Cacao. Because the infrastructure for this is lacking locally, we have set up our own “La Academia”. Join us for a day on El Cacao. 
A group of men are sitting at tables with laptops
A nurse measures a woman's blood pressure
A man in a green shirt is driving a forklift
A man carrying a crate of cocoa fruit on his head
Two men are working on a cocoa bag that says ritter sport on it

What makes El
Cacao special

GOOD FOR NATURE

A yellow cocoa fruit is growing on a tree with green leaves
A small green cocoa plant is growing out of the ground
A row of cocoa trees with lots of green leaves
A cute sloth is laying in the grass and looking at the camera

  • EL CACAO IS A CLIMATE-POSITIVE PLANTATION

    The cocoa cultivation on El Cacao is a climate-positive system on its 1200 hectares in an agroforestry system, which means that: 

MORE
THAN A MILLION TREES FOR

THE
CLIMATE

A man wearing a blue shirt that says el cacao on it, smiling in the camera

  • REGENERATION OF FORMER PASTURE LAND THROUGH AN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

    Only half of El Cacao’s land is used for cocoa cultivation. We have reforested fallow former pasture land with over one million cocoa trees and around 30,000 shade trees.  

  • PROTECTING OUR RAINFOREST

    On El Cacao, there are around 1,200 hectares of unspoilt forest and wetlands, which we protect permanently. Protecting the rainforest is doubly important to us: for the global climate as well as for the microclimate on the plantation. 

  • SUSTAINABLE COCOA FARMING: THE AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM ON EL CACAO

    At El Cacao, we do not simply grow cocoa just like that, but in an agroforestry system – an ecologically sound mixed cultivation of cocoa trees and native tree and shrub species. These provide shade and protection from the wind, improve the soil, and create a habitat for a variety of animals. 

  • OUR INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE: PRINCIPLES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

    Our farming methods follow the principles of Integrated farming, which include, for example, energy efficiency, the avoidance of emissions (climate-positive), sustainable soil fertility, composting, and biodiversity. 

  • BIODIVERSITY AT HEART: DON SCHOKO AND HIS FRIENDS ON EL CACAO

    The protection of unspoilt forest and wetland areas on El Cacao significantly promotes biodiversity. El Cacao is now home to over 200 different species of flora and fauna, a true paradise for our sloth Don Schoko, the Ritter Sport brand ambassador, and his friends. The development of biodiversity on El Cacao is regularly measured and scientifically monitored. 

MORE THAN A MILLION TREES FOR THE CLIMATE

A woman in the woods next to a green plant
  • REGENERATION OF FORMER PASTURE LAND THROUGH AN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

    Only half of El Cacao’s land is used for cocoa cultivation. We have reforested fallow former pasture land with over one million cocoa trees and around 30,000 shade trees. 

  • PROTECTING OUR RAINFOREST

    On El Cacao, there are around 1,200 hectares of unspoilt forest and wetlands, which we protect permanently. Protecting the rainforest is doubly important to us: for the global climate as well as for the microclimate on the plantation. 
A row of cocoa trees with lots of green leaves
A yellow cocoa fruit is growing on a tree with green leaves
A small green plant is growing out of the ground
A sloth is laying in the grass and looking at the camera
  • SUSTAINABLE COCOA FARMING: THE AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM ON EL CACAO

    At El Cacao, we do not simply grow cocoa just like that, but in an agroforestry system – an ecologically sound mixed cultivation of cocoa trees and native tree and shrub species. These provide shade and protection from the wind, improve the soil, and create a habitat for a variety of animals. 

  • OUR INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE: PRINCIPLES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

    Our farming methods follow the principles of Integrated farming, which include, for example, energy efficiency, the avoidance of emissions (climate-positive), sustainable soil fertility, composting, and biodiversity. 

  • BIODIVERSITY AT HEART: DON CHOCO AND HIS FRIENDS ON EL CACAO

    The protection of unspoilt forest and wetland areas on El Cacao significantly promotes biodiversity. El Cacao is now home to over 200 different species of flora and fauna, a true paradise for our sloth Don Schoko, the Ritter Sport brand ambassador, and his friends. The development of biodiversity on El Cacao is regularly measured and scientifically monitored. 

OUR COCOA
MORE THAN BEANS

The cocoa bean is the most important ingredient in our chocolate. But we also know that the cocoa fruit has more to offer than just beans. That is why at El Cacao we focus on the comprehensive utilisation of this great fruit.


We also compost the shells on our El Cacao farm and thus return essential nutrients to the soil.

A woman in the woods next to a green plant

Our Cocoa

MORE THAN BEANS

The cocoa bean is the most important ingredient in our chocolate. But we also know that the cocoa fruit has more to offer than just beans. That is why at El Cacao we focus on the comprehensive utilisation of this great fruit.

We also compost the shells on our
El Cacao farm and thus return essential
nutrients to the soil.

A man in a yellow shirt talks to a woman in a blue shirt that says el cacao

CACAOVIDA

We extract delicious cocoa juice from the pulp, which we use for our Cacao Vida products.

COCOA SHELL

COCOA BEANS

COCOA PULP

CACAOVIDA

We extract delicious cocoa juice from the pulp, which we use for our Cacao Vida products.

A cartoon drawing of a cocoa fruit with arrows pointing from the shell, beans and pulp

COCOA SHELL

                COCOA BEANS

                COCOA PULP

Want to know more about our
EFFORTS?

Learn more about our partners and what we are achieve together.

Our Cocoa

PARTNERSHIPS

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Get to know the team behind our cocoa and test your cocoa knowledge.

OUR COCOA

COMPETENCE

A person is reaching into a wooden box filled with cocoa beans.
Discover our principles of cocoa sourcing and learn why short supply chains are beneficial.

COCOA SOURCING

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BACK TO TOP

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Our Cocoa
COMPETENCE

Get to know the team behind our cocoa and test your cocoa knowledge.

EFFORTS?

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