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Chocolate manufacturer Alfred Theodor Ritter, 68, claims to have tried to establish an organic line at Ritter Sport - but failed.
"For years I tried to torture marketing over and over again," said Ritter in an interview with "Spiegel".
In the end, the company would have given up.
"People simply said: organic is too expensive, doesn't taste good, is something for people with scratchy sweaters and Birkenstock sandals."
With that, according to Ritter, he does not need to come to the company again.
A consistent conversion of the Ritter Sport production would have meant “firing half of the workforce” because sales would then have fallen.
Instead, the family business is aiming for an “intermediate path”: In addition to its own cocoa plantation in Nicaragua, investments are made in more sustainable packaging and certification of raw materials.
"If you take small enough steps, you also cover a distance," says Ritter.