nouvelles

Increased production capacity and new product for 2024

31 January 2024

PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production has increased its production capacity by adding a second ball mill for producing cocoa mass. We have also added roasted coca nibs to our range.

Promoting biodiversity while creating additional income

31 January 2024

Many of PRONATEC’s projects go beyond the minimum requirements provided by organic and fair trade standards. Our current biodiversity project in the Dominican Republic fosters species diversity whilst creating valuable additional revenue for smallholder families.

New software to support geolocation of cocoa plantations and digitalise the ICS

31 January 2024

PRONATEC has started developing software that will make it possible to reliably collect georeferenced data of cocoa plantations as required under the EU Deforestation Regulation and digitalise all documentation relating to the internal control system (ICS).

Proudly presenting the first ROC-certified cocoa from Latin America

31 January 2024

Our ROC-certified cocoa mass, butter, powder and nibs from Dominican Republic are available now. Read on to find out why we had no problems with obtaining the exacting Regenerative Organic Certified certification, and why we haven't had a single case of child labour at our subsidiary YACAO and the cocoa producing smallholders in the Dominican Republic...

Organic turmeric for premium teas and exclusive spice mixes

31 January 2024

Grown by smallholder cooperatives in Madagascar, our turmeric products are characterised by their particularly high curcumin content and have a range of characteristics that make them highly valuable. What are the benefits of turmeric, and what are the different forms (cut, fine cut and powder) used for?

Zero pesticide cases thanks to purely organic cocoa factory

04 October 2023

An assessment carried out in September shows there have been no pesticide cases in our semi-finished cocoa products since production started. This is thanks to our production being 100% organic, but also thanks to our unique cocoa bean analysis procedures.

PRONATEC cocoa: ready for the EU Deforestation Regulation

04 October 2023

The cocoa department at PRONATEC is ready for the new EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. An overview of all the requirements and what we are doing now.

What does the Regenerative Organic Certified® label stand for?

04 October 2023

The Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) label supplements the concept of ‘organic’ with elements such as soil health, animal welfare and fair terms for farmers. PRONATEC is going to introduce ROC in 2024. What does the label stand for and what benefits does it bring?

Cocoa seedlings for a better income

04 October 2023

In the Dominican Republic, our partner cooperative FUNDOPO is currently selling around 70,000 cocoa seedlings at cost price. The aim? Long-term improvements in yield and income for smallholders.

Why it's worth switching to organic sugar now

04 October 2023

The prices for conventional sugar are at a historic high and nearly the same as the prices for organic sugar. That's why switching to organic now could be worthwhile for a number of reasons.

The EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains and PRONATEC’s plan of action

07 June 2023

From the end of 2024, the new EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains will prohibit the importing of cocoa that was grown on deforested land. What changes are required by the law and how can we ensure that our cocoa products comply with the new rules?

One year of “exclusively organic cocoa processing” – an interview with David Yersin

06 June 2023

One year after production began, our CEO David Yersin looks back – and forwards. What trends and challenges can he see and what can our customers expect in future from “the world’s only exclusively organic cocoa processing company”?

PRONATEC INSiGHT on 27 June 2023

06 June 2023

Our Plant Manager Yannick Rihs looks back on PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production’s first year. Which cocoa powder is most suitable for your purposes? How is PRONATEC responding to the EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains? And what do vanilla, cocoa and spice growing in Madagascar look like from close up?

A day in the life of the sugar cane farmers of Costa Rica and Paraguay

06 June 2023

Our Head Sugar Nicolo Rieben visited Costa Rica and Paraguay. What is a typical day in the life of a sugar cane farmer like? In his face-to-face conversations, Nicolo learnt a great deal about the difficult work ofarvesting sugar cane and the valuable support available from cooperatives.

ChatGPT, what are the benefits of organically produced food?

06 June 2023

What are the benefits of organically produced food? We asked ChatGPT, a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence.

Fairly traded organic cocoa from Dominican smallholders – YACAO and FUNDOPO

27 January 2023

Our Dominican subsidiary YACAO brings around 3000 smallholders from the FUNDOPO farmers’ organisation into the PRONATEC value creation chain. “The stories of YACAO and FUNDOPO are inextricably linked with one another”. A personal interview with the managing directors of these two organisations.

2,364,735 US dollars in fair trade premiums

27 January 2023

In 2021, PRONATEC had already achieved 2 million in fair trade premium payments. In 2022, we were able to go even further: Precisely 2,364,735 US dollars were paid out in 2022 to the smallholders – a new record!

Organic cane sugar or organic beet sugar: Does more regional really mean more sustainable?

27 January 2023

The harvest of our organic cane sugar from Paraguay ended in November, and that of the organic European beet sugar finished a few weeks ago. This provides a good opportunity to take a closer look at these two sources of sugar. How do things currently stand with regard to prices, sustainability and social development?

Together for more sustainability and social responsibility in the supply chain

27 January 2023

Sustainability and social responsibility across the entire supply chain are central concerns of ours. We are members of Sedex and would be delighted for you to connect with us!

Around 500 guests help celebrate

07 October 2022

The new PRONATEC organic cocoa processing plant near Schaffhausen by the Rhine Falls opened its doors during the weekend of 16/17 September 2022.

A laboratory for (almost) any challenge

07 October 2022

Samuel Hanimann, Head of Quality Assurance & Quality Management, reports on the construction of the laboratory in Beringen and the resulting benefits of PRONATEC having its own in-house laboratory for our customers. What’s more, our cocoa processing plant has been officially FSSC 22000-certified since 28 September.

ACOPAGRO celebrates its 25th anniversary

07 October 2022

The cooperative of small-scale farmers celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Its long-term success is a source of both joy and pride for us. PRONATEC was ACOPAGRO’s first customer, helped the cooperative finds its feet and assisted it with obtaining the organic and Fairtrade certification for its cocoa.

Trend for vanilla extracts instead of vanilla flavourings

07 October 2022

Many consumers want natural food products without any artificial additives. The changes to the European Organic Regulation have also accelerated the trend for natural flavourings. More and more food producers are ceasing to use vanilla flavourings and switching to vanilla extracts instead. 

Successful completion of apprenticeship

06 October 2022

We would like to sincerely congratulate our apprentice Sudenaz Irgan for passing her apprenticeship as commercial employee with Federal Proficiency Certificate (EFZ). We are thrilled that she will be staying on with us as a back-office consultant.

Cocoa processing plant now officially in operation

27 June 2022

PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production has successfully passed all its organic and Fairtrade audits and has been officially in operation since June! More on this and an interview with our cocoa processing engineer Kevin Katy in this News article.

Visit to a sugar project in Mozambique

27 June 2022

Our sugar expert Nicolo Rieben has already visited quite a few projects. Our latest farming project in Mozambique impressed him a great deal in several ways. “The social and economic benefits in this extremely poor region are enormous.”

La filière bio vient en aide à l’Ukraine

22 June 2022

La guerre en Ukraine nous touche profondément. Par le biais de l’alliance allemande «Deine Ukraine Hilfe», de nombreux dons en nature issus de la filière bio arrivent ces jours-ci en Ukraine via la Pologne. Parmi ces denrées figurent 2100 kg de sucre et 600 kg de chocolat provenant de nos entrepôts.

Troubleshooters on duty

14 April 2022

In a new series, we're introducing some of the people behind PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production. Despite the commissioning phase being such a busy time, Plant General Manager Yannick Rihs and Technical Manager Timo Speerli found the time to answer a few questions.

Fair trade cocoa: increasing yields by looking after the soil and providing technical support

14 April 2022

Our certification and cocoa specialist, Christoph Eisenbeiss, attended the recent general meeting of the FUNDOPO smallholders’ organisation in the Dominican Republic. "The focus for 2022 is on providing technical support for smallholders and looking after cocoa-growing land – to ensure sustainable increases in yield".

When doing business can do good

14 April 2022

Michaela Scarpatetti, our International Sales Manager, visited the Providencia sugar mill in Colombia. Here she shares with us some of her impressions from her visit – and tells us what she finds so interesting about her work.

UTZ/Rainforest Alliance merger and new Naturland semi-finished cocoa products

14 April 2022

The Rainforest Alliance and UTZ have merged and are introducing a new common standard. You can find more information about the change here. New in our range: Naturland certified cocoa mass and cocoa butter from the Dominican Republic.

PRONATEC INSIGHT ON 17th MAY 2022

14 April 2022

What steps are entailed in producing premium-quality semi-finished products from cocoa beans? What difference does fair trade make to our smallholders – does the money really reach them? And what does it take to turn a green vanilla pod into a luxury speciality with a complex blend of flavours? Sign up now for our webinars – we look forward to seeing you!

Pioneer and trailblazer

27 January 2022

The start of this year marked the 45th anniversary of the founding of PRONATEC AG. In this interview, David Yersin talks about courage, joy and the strength to persevere – even in the face of obstacles.

20 years of Biopartenaire

27 January 2022

The French organic and fair trade association Biopartenaire is run through exemplary participatory processes and plays a key role in shaping the market in France. We are proud to have been on board as a member for over ten years.

Cocoa processing on track

27 January 2022

All the equipment has been assembled and installed, and now it’s time for commissioning. We are currently checking around 7,000 control signals – a mammoth task that is worth doing! Have a look at our quick run-through of a machine installation now.

Aider Afghanistan

15 December 2021

De nombreux Afghans et Afghanes sont affamés et en danger. Afghanistanhilfe, une association caritative Suisse, peut poursuivre ses activités. Nous sommes heureux de les aider avec notre campagne de Noël.

New premium chocolate, coatings and bake-proof drops

13 October 2021

Discover our new single-origin or milk chocolate and coatings as well as bake-proof milk chocolate drops – still made with a high proportion of cocoa butter and no soy lecithin.

PRONATEC INSiGHT: focusing on quality, sensory testing and traceability

13 October 2021

We look forward to welcoming you to the first online PRONATEC customer event, on 16 November 2021. Join us live as we taste ginger together, explain our product traceability system and take a closer look at how organic sugar is produced. Book your place today!

Organic Bourbon vanilla at last year’s prices

13 October 2021

The green pods that we bought directly from the farmers are now mostly fermented and are going through the final stages of refining at the main PREMIUM SPICES processing centre in Mananara. A visual inspection by our local vanilla experts suggests that the quality is good.

New specialists for PRONATEC cocoa processing in Switzerland

13 October 2021

The new PRONATEC cocoa processing plant in Beringen, Switzerland, opens up new technical opportunities for making customised speciality cocoa products. We have brought in the experts!

Organic cocoa from smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone

13 October 2021

Thanks to a partnership with Lizard Earth, PRONATEC is now sourcing organic cocoa directly from Sierra Leone for the first time. Numerous farming families are benefiting from this long-term project. Find out more about how Lizard Earth is cultivating unused areas of land and helping to protect the landscape close to the Gola Rainforest National Park.

SYRAMENA® Golden – organic raw cane sugar from Colombia

13 October 2021

Try our new demerara sugar from Colombia – we are pleased to offer this high-quality sugar at a good price. Find out more about our partner in the country of origin and how this decorative, large-grained crystalline sugar with the distinctive caramel aroma is made.

Closer to our customers but logistics situation remains challenging

13 October 2021

We are confident of being able to handle your orders efficiently despite the difficult logistics situation. Additional PRONATEC resources have been made available for import logistics and we continue to maintain excellent relationships with our logistics partners. The good news is that, thanks to our new warehouse in Marseilles, we are now even closer to our customers in the southern European market.

MITSINJO General Meeting

29 June 2021

The General Meeting of the MITSINJO cooperative was held on 20 February 2021. An important agenda item: The community has to make sure that the impregnated mosquito nets from the Ministry of Health are not to be distributed to spice producers.

PRONATEC launches cocoa processing in Switzerland

28 June 2021

We are delighted to announce that we are setting up a new production facility in Switzerland. From mid-2022, we will be processing organic cocoa beans into cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder at our new site in Beringen next to Schaffhausen.

General Meetings of smallholder organisations

28 June 2021

Smallholder cooperatives with democratic structures are an important prerequisite for Fairtrade. At the General Meetings, the members decide on the strategic direction of the cooperative and how the Fairtrade premiums should be used.

FUNDOPO General Meeting

28 June 2021

In April 2021, the members of FUNDOPO were able to hold their long-awaited General Meeting, a part-virtual and part-physical reunion this time. One of the decisions the cooperative took was to buy about 12 hectares of land to build a new tree nursery.

EcoFarm - organic sugar from Mozambique

02 February 2021

EcoFarm from the Chemba district in Mozambique is our new trading partner for SYRAMENA organic raw cane sugar. EcoFarm is located in a pristine, rural area on the Zambezi River in the heart of Mozambique and produces organic sugar of the highest quality.

Interview with our organic inspectors

02 February 2021

An important factor in the organic certification of primary products is an effective internal control system. Please see our interview with two internal control system inspectors from YACAO in the Dominican Republic.

Interview with clove producers in Madagascar

02 February 2021

In January 2021, we interviewed four families from the Analanjirofo region in northern Madagascar. They each belong to one of the smallholder cooperatives, KOMAM and COPPVM, and produce organic and Fairtrade-certified cloves.

Congratulations to El Quinacho on the 50th anniversary!

02 February 2021

Congratulations to El Quinacho on the 50th anniversary! Since 2004 the cocoa cooperative has been a very important and reliable supplier of organic and Fairtrade certified cocoa beans to PRONATEC. 

Successful FSSC 22000 certification

09 October 2020

We are delighted that our intensive preparation has paid off, and that we have been FSSC 22000 certified since July 2020. The new certification is a further milestone in our commitment to the highest possible product quality and food safety.

Covid-19 containment and FUNDOPO Fairtrade projects

09 October 2020

With the goal of helping the cocoa farmers, FUNDOPO representatives gave demonstrations of preventive measures and each producer was given an anti-Covid-19 kit. Several projects financed with Fairtrade premiums have been completed and officially launched.

Bake-stable chocolate drops 60%

09 October 2020

Our new bake-stable chocolate drops, made from high-quality organic cocoa from the Dominican Republic and Peru, will impress you with their exquisitely intense cocoa flavour.

She did it - congratulations!

09 October 2020

We congratulate our apprentice Aurora Peverelli for gaining the Swiss Federal Proficiency Certificate in business administration.

Supply in the time of Corona

04 June 2020

Despite the Corona crisis, the supply of organic and Fairtrade ingredients and products continues to function well. Thanks to numerous precautionary measures, supplies are ensured both in the countries of origin and in production. However, temporary logistic bottlenecks can extend the lead time.

Cocoa harvest in a state of emergency

04 June 2020

In the Dominican Republic, even in a state of emergency, our local partners are constantly harvesting cocoa beans and making them available for export under increased security measures. This assures not only our supply of cocoa beans, but also the income of over 2,000 organic and Fairtrade smallholders.

Nevandra: COVID-19 emergency aid in India

04 June 2020

Covid-19 challenges us all, but the Corona crisis hits the poorest of the poor hardest. This is happening in India too. During the ‘lockdown’, those living in the slums are not allowed to leave them and most of the jobs for day labourers have disappeared. We are therefore supporting the Nevandra Association, which distributes food packages as emergency aid.

Organic ginger from Peru – spicy-hot with a fine citrus note

04 June 2020

The current situation in Peru is also challenging for many farmers and companies. We are incredibly grateful to our local partners for ensuring the supply of organic ginger. The plant is valued in the tea and spice industry for its spicy pungency and its intense citrus note.

Sugar by sailing ship from South America

04 June 2020

To support sustainable freight shipping, PRONATEC was involved in one of Fairtransport shipping’s transatlantic voyages. Part of the cargo which the 32-metre-long sailing freighter ‘Tres Hombres’ brought to Europe was SUCANAT whole cane sugar from our Colombian supplier Molienda Real.

New organic regulation accelerates the trend towards natural vanilla extracts

29 January 2020

The new organic regulation stipulates that from 1st January 2021, only organic and natural flavourings and carriers may be used. This will obviously accelerate the trend towards sustainable and natural flavours.

Visit to cocoa farmers in Panama

22 October 2019

23rd October 2019

In August 2019, Lorenz Huber visited our cooperative partner COCABO in Panama. The mild cocoa from this region is especially suitable for chocolate with a high cocoa content.

Interview with our Head Buyer Cocoa in Yamasá

31 January 2019

Jeimy ist head buyer of cocoa in Yamasá, Dominican Republic. Currently she is working with over 600 organic cerctified small cocoa farmers. She has been interviewed by Beat Wiederkehr, General Manager of YACAO.

A visit to cocoa farmers in Peru

26 September 2018

On a visit to four partner cooperatives in Peru in early July, Sandro Marti was impressed by the busy atmosphere at the organic cocoa plantations. Thanks to the hard work of the four cooperatives, we have sufficient supplies of organic and Fairtrade cocoa from Peru.

One day in the life of a sugar cane farmer

11 October 2017

Mario Sanabria is a member of the ASOCACE small farmers’ organisation in Paraguay. Our sugar buyer, Andrés Schwippert, talked to him about his daily life during the sugar cane harvest.

Visit to coconut sugar farmers

24 May 2017

At the beginning of 2017, Nicolas Merky travelled to Indonesia to get to know the Nira Satria cooperative better. It supplies us with organic coconut sugar and holds various certifications: EU Bio, NOP, Kosher, HACCP and soon also  FLO Fairtrade.

Developing cocoa fermenting stations with SME sustainability prize

09 September 2016

In January 2016, we were delighted to accept Zürcher Kantonalbank's SME prize for sustainable businesses. Amongst other things, we will use the prize money to support a cocoa cooperative in Madagascar. In the next six months, PRONATEC will finance six central fermenting stations for the small farmers from 17 villages. Thanks to this optimised fermentation process, the farmers will in future be able to achieve a higher and more consistent quality of cocoa.

Sustainability Award

28 January 2016

The 2016 Zürcher Kantonalbank SME Award for Sustainable Companies went to PRONATEC as the second-placed company.

40 years of PRONATEC

27 January 2016

The sale of exquisite-tasting raw materials, consistent focus on healthy foods, traceability of our products throughout the whole supply and processing chain, fair trade as well as a pioneering spirit and passion have been our main drivers within the last 40 years.

Pérou: le cacao, une alternative à la coca

13 October 2014

Les paysans ne peuvent vivre sans coca et voir leurs conditions d’existence s’améliorer de manière durable que si les produits alternatifs tels que le cacao leur procurent un revenu suffisamment élevé. Grâce à la labellisation bio et équitable et à la collaboration avec des sociétés telles que PRONATEC, la situation est devenue un peu plus simple pour de nombreux cultivateurs.

Peru: cocoa as an alternative to coca

13 October 2014

Living without coca and improving the living conditions of the farmers is only possible if alternative products such as cocoa achieve fairer prices in the long term. This has become somewhat easier for many farmers thanks to organic and Fairtrade certification and collaboration with companies such as PRONATEC.

Pioneer in fair trade cocoa beans

22 March 2013

We are pleased to note that the latest study by the Public Eye (earlier Erklärung von Bern), confirms our pioneering role in sustainable trade in raw materials. Our business activities were consistently rated as advanced in terms of traceability, measures, control and transparency.