Zotter Chocolate: A Delicious Treat from Styria, Austria!

Zotter Chocolate: A Delicious Treat from Styria, Austria!

Zotter Chocolate began with a man who is anything but conventional. Josef Zotter broke new ground in the chocolate industry when he founded his brand, ultimately becoming one of the best chocolatiers in the world. His huge range offers both classic flavours and unique, innovative creations.

How it all started ...

Zotter's story began almost thirty years ago, more precisely in 1992. In 1992, Josef Zotter started to produce chocolate himself. At that time he still had his own confectionery in Graz and wanted to expand his range. He developed a new process for the production of chocolate, making his own homemade bars.

Two years later, Josef Zotter started working with Andreas H. Gratze. The art designer created the designs for Zotter's chocolate packaging. This combination of art and culinary expertise gave the products a distinctive look and taste that are both inspiring and easy to recognise,

In 1999, the Zotter chocolate factory finally opened in Riegersburg in Styria. After opening his factory, Josef Zotter began travelling to the countries of origin of the raw materials he needed for his chocolate. The result is the bean-to-bar production that the company expanded to in 2007. Since then, the bars are processed from the cocoa beans up in Riegersburg.

Zotter buys his cocoa beans directly from their countries of origin, importing them to Styria where they are roasted, ground and processed directly in the factory. This new process requires a lot of know-how! Zotter Chocolate is one of the few independent bean-to-bar producers in Europe that only produces organic, fair-trade chocolate.

Chocolate Theater

As the demand for Zotter chocolates has increased rapidly since 2002, the factory attracts several hundred thousand visitors a year. Part of the attraction is the chocolate theater where visitors can watch live production and taste their way through the various stages the chocolate goes through during products. There are also plenty of finished bars available for tasting!

Large assortment

At the moment, Zotter processes around 200 tons of cocoa beans and 150 tons of cocoa butter into 646 tons of chocolate a year. The huge range includes over 500 different types of chocolate. In addition to classic varieties that come in all imaginable flavours, new lines are constantly in development. In addition to the Nashido thin, creamy chocolate bars, Zotter makes the Mitzi Blue chocolate line, which are circular chocolates that look like records. Customers can also invent and produce individual chocolates of their choice. The chocolate factory in Riegersburg now employs more than 200 people.

At Piccantino, our customers will find more than 200 chocolate creations by Zotter. From the classic bars to drinking chocolates and coffee, to gift chocolates, there's sure to be something for everyone with this line!