admin Food is the cultural marker of a community. Social cohesion rests on food as it helps bind people together. Chocolate is a distinctive part of this culinary legacy crafted by societies globally. The significance of chocolate as an ingredient as well as a delicacy can hardly be overemphasized. Andreas Tonken, CEO of Ritter Sport agrees with this sentiment. Founded in 1912, Ritter Sport is a Germany-based chocolate company that is currently distributing quality chocolates in 100 countries around the world and is the third-largest chocolate maker in Europe.
Ritter Sport strives to promote diversity and international adaptability by realigning its message and business model to offer a wider reach. The familial orientation of the company attracted Andreas. As he proposes, ‘My personal view is that family companies are much more fun to work for and are also more values-oriented than companies that may be on the stock market but with no family involved.”
The Intuitive Leader
While studying industrial and mechanical engineering in the United States and Germany in the 1990s, Andreas recognized his true passion for instantaneous results. He was not one to fit the mold of a conventional engineer, who would keep returning to the drawing board to maximize the efficacy of a machine. Andreas is rather driven by the desire to witness the fruits of his labor in the daily lives of millions of people.
We are a very big company with deep values, and we need to make sure that the good stuff stays in the company. That means our caring, our family values and our German heritage – Andreas Tonken
Andreas has a long standing relationship with the Ritter brand. He has served as the supply chain Managing Director since 2005 and then as the CEO since 2015. Andreas has harnessed his engineering skills to implement a series of projects aimed at making Ritter Sport’s global footprint wider while simultaneously making its environmental footprint smaller. Andreas propounds, “We have instituted strict guidelines for our developers regarding what ingredients can be used and which ones are to be strictly prohibited, and i.e. the use of natural or artificial flavorings is not allowed.” This sets the Ritter brand name a-class-apart from the other market competitors.
A Familial Work Culture
Andreas expresses his unwavering faith in the creating a good work culture rather than simply developing an excellent strategic roadmap. His efforts have created a working ethos and culture that is informal, yet communicative and friendly. Fostering equality among the team members and uniting them on the quest to produce and distribute the highest quality chocolate across the globe remains seminal. Andreas encourages his team members to be who they are at work. This negates the need for a distinct work persona and promotes creative thinking. As Andreas propounds, ‘If the people can connect to the purpose of their work, you don`t need that additional external motivation to boost their productivity.”
Building Responsible Supply Chains
The team of professionals at the firm, under the guidance and leadership of Andreas believes in carefully cultivating long-term fair partnerships with cacao farmers, which have a positive impact on the farmers and their families. Ritter Sport recognizes the importance of cocoa in the economies of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and believes that they have a responsibility to collaborate with these people to support their livelihoods. Over a period of 30 years, Ritter Sport has curated a cordial relationship with the cacao farmers in Nicaragua.
Creating a Viable Venture
The company is a key proponent in the field of responsible agricultural practices. Sustainability has been the core tenet of the firm since 2018. This goal has been achieved by sourcing 100% sustainable cacao. Moreover, the company has also managed to maintain 100% transparency in the cacao supply chain.
The focus is now on strengthening the 100% autonomy of the company. Andreas states, “We have a clear growth and innovation strategy called Chocolate S 2025 which we will implement. And of course, we are constantly looking for new and better ways to make our chocolate even more enjoyable and delicious and sustainable.”
I think if you want to learn, you need to experiment and just learn from doing. Of course, these sometimes fail, and that is why we try to execute them quickly, so that negative results do not weigh us down for two or three years – Andreas Tonken
Battling the Pandemic Woes
“In the pandemic, the first priority must be on the health of people, second priority is the reviewing and remodeling of the operating business model,” propounded Andreas. Problems were encountered in keeping the supply chain running. Extending help to the cacao farmers has become much more arduous due to the ongoing health crisis. Managing the team of the Ritter family has been equally important for Andreas. He has also ensured that communication with the team either through meetings or video sessions is mandated to help check upon their well-being and assuage their concerns.
Fueling Success
Andreas asserts, “Our growth strategy is to have a broad customer base. We are looking for new clients internationally so we are, of course, targeting China and Russia, which are currently our biggest growth markets. The markets in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and the US are the other segments we seek to capture.” Andreas is motivated by the goal to make Ritter the most well-known chocolate company in the global arena.
Magazine 
