The beginnings of Ritter Sport

In 1912 Clara Ritter and Alfred Eugen Ritter in Stuttgart-Cannstatt one Chocolate and Sugar factory. The company's first chocolate brand, Alrica (for Alfred Ritter Kannstatt ), came onto the market in 1919. Between 1920 and 1926 the number of employees doubled from 40 to 80 employees. In 1930 the company moved from Cannstatt to Waldenbuch. In 1932, Clara Ritter invented the Ritter Sport brand and the square shape of the chocolates, the Alrika brand gave way to the new brand.

In 1952 the company founder and his son died Alfred Otto Ritter took over management of the company. In 1959 the company founder Clara Ritter died. In 1964, Alfred Otto Ritter decided to focus the business on the Ritter Sport brand and square boards. From 1960 to 1970 sales tripled. In 1972 the company achieved sales of over 100 million DM for the first time. After Alfred Otto's death in 1974, his wife Martha took over the management with an advisory board as both children were still studying.

In 1978 the third generation joined the company, Alfred Theodor Ritter and his sister Marli Hoppe-Ritter came to the advisory board and increasingly brought social, environmental and sustainability issues into corporate management. Alfred Theodor Ritter took over the chairmanship of the advisory board in 1983, In 2005, after years of rapid growth and red numbers, he also took over the operational chairmanship of Alfred Ritter GmbH. In 2008 the company was back in the black. In 2015, Ritter handed over the chairmanship to the previous managing director of production and technology, Andreas Ronken and moved to the chairmanship of the advisory board, which his sister previously held. Continue reading...