GOODNESS COMES
IN SQUARES Due to its iconic square pack and constant introduction of new, innovative varieties, Ritter Sport chocolate has become a firm favourite in households around Europe. Julia Snow reports.
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lfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG is a traditional family enterprise, today led by Alfred T. Ritter in the third generation. In 2012 the company celebrated 100 years of business. Around 2.5 million bars are produced each day by 900 employees in the single production site in Waldenbuch near Stuttgart. The company’s story began in 1912, in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, where the master confectioner Alfred Eugen and his wife Clara Göttle, a sweet shop owner, started their own chocolate and sweets factory. Chocolate was in high demand, and the company grew quickly, until in 1932 Clara observed that rectangle-shaped chocolate is a poor fit for the pockets of spectators at local sporting events. The revolutionary square shape and the name ‘Ritter Sport’ were born and in 1960 the company decided to focus on the square shape exclusively. 114 Industry Europe