Pronatec has stood for organically produced and fairly traded cocoa products, sugar, vanilla and spices for over 45 years. CEO David Yersin and his family business were among the organic pioneers in the sugar trade in the early 1980s. Pronatec initially imported its sugar from Paraguay. At that time, organic farming was still a small niche and the Yersins were trendsetters. Pronatec also successfully launched the world's first chocolate that was both organic and Fairtrade-certified - now available under the name "AMARRÚ" - together with a Swiss producer in the 1990s. "The first really good organic chocolate," adds David Yersin with a grin. The chocolate needed cocoa of the best quality, and so, after the sugar, trading in organically grown cocoa beans and a further step in the supply chain soon began: the company's own subsidiary in the Dominican Republic in 1999. This enabled Pronatec to buy cocoa beans directly from small farmers in Latin America under fair conditions and have them processed in Europe. Fairtrade and high quality were a key success factor for the Yersin family right from the start. Both the cocoa beans and the sugar and spices are certified organic, and most of them have a Fairtrade label. This is still a unique selling point of the company today.

«We launched the world's first organic and Fairtrade-certified chocolate on the market.»

David Yersin, CEO Pronatec

From retail to production

Yersin's entrepreneurial spirit and flair for new market developments also led him and his team to plan a further development step around four years ago: processing the beans themselves into cocoa mass, powder and butter. "We saw that the demand for organically produced cocoa products was growing. But there was no specialized supplier on the market," explains David Yersin. For reasons of flexibility and quality, Pronatec decided to build its own production facility just for organic cocoa. And with this step, it became the world's only exclusively organic processor of semi-finished cocoa products.

In its search for a production site, the Winterthur-based company came to Schaffhausen: "We were supported in our project by the economic development agency from the very beginning. We found a production hall here close to the border. It is easily accessible, close to our headquarters and, last but not least, in the center of our main sales area," Yersin continues. The new plant has been in operation since June 2022.

Pronatec supplies customers from Switzerland, Europe and even the USA and Canada with its semi-finished cocoa products. "The demand for our certified organic products is high. With our production in Switzerland, we offer very high quality and are competitively priced. And with our well-coordinated team, we can also respond to our customers' wishes and, unlike our competitors, produce comparatively small quantities," explains Operations Manager Yannick Rihs. A unique feature of Pronatec's organic processing is that all three important semi-finished products - cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder - can be produced in the same factory. These in turn are the starting products for the production of foodstuffs such as chocolate or cocoa drinks as well as cosmetics. With its own plant, Pronatec controls all process steps from the procurement of cocoa beans from small farmers to fermentation, export, processing and sales. This makes the value chain fully traceable for the company and guarantees the promise of Fairtrade and organic quality even more strongly. And as a side effect, Pronatec can keep the food waste from processing the cocoa beans low, in line with the company philosophy. Thanks to the fact that the by-products can be sold on - and have an additional use as an additive in teas, animal feed or biogas.

Successful production in a niche market

"The demand for our organic semi-finished products is very high. That's why we are already planning to expand production. With further optimization of processes and expansion of the infrastructure," summarizes Yersin. However, despite the successful start, the uncertainties from the environment remain: weather-related crop failures or quality losses in the beans, energy prices, delivery delays due to the long transport routes and, finally, currency fluctuations - there are many variables responsible for a successful and good operation. "We try to optimize the uncertainty factors as much as possible: through our own warehouses, short distances and close cooperation with small farmers' organizations, from whom we purchase the entire cocoa harvest. And, of course, through the controlled development of our production," explains Yersin. "Food processing is demanding, as we also work internationally with our customers. Ultimately, we also need consumers who are prepared to pay more for organic products and certified sustainability." David Yersin is confident: "Our Pronatec quality is convincing. And we will continue to stand up for our organic product in the future."