Zero pesticide cases thanks to purely organic cocoa factory

An assessment carried out in September shows the benefits of our exclusively organic production in black and white: There have been no pesticide cases in our semi-finished cocoa products since production started. Another contributing factor has been the strict cocoa bean analysis procedures developed by PRONATEC. These allow us to detect even raw materials with minimal traces of residues with utmost reliability and exclude them from the production process.

We have been processing cocoa beans into cocoa mass, butter and powder at our own exclusively organic plant near Schaffhausen in Northern Switzerland since June 2022. During this first year of production, all products of PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production were subjected to extensive testing. An evaluation carried out in September now confirms the advantages of our exclusively organic production plant.

Zero pesticide cases – while increasing the production volume

There have been no pesticide cases detected in the products PRONATEC has processed itself since production started. This is despite the fact that the volume of beans processed has increased by around 80% over the same period. "The fact that we have not had a single pesticide case validates our decision to go for a purely organic plant," says our delighted CEO and company owner, David Yersin. "There is no mixing with conventional products here. Now people can see the benefits in black and white." So far, PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production has produced approximately 7000 tons of organic semi-finished cocoa products.

David Yersin, CEO PRONATEC AG	Samuel Hanimann, Head QM

Strict cocoa bean analysis procedures

Extremely meticulous analysis of the cocoa beans and a specially developed analytical procedure have contributed to this outstanding result. "Many processors have the problem that their pesticide analysis of the raw materials does not match the analysis of the processed products," explains Samuel Hanimann, Head of Quality Management. "Problematic raw materials are not reliably detected and lead to significantly higher follow-on costs, if the residues are only detected at the semi-finished product stage. PRONATEC has developed a process that produces very accurate and representative results and this is reflected in higher product quality."

The representative analysis also ensures that the limit values for heavy metals such as cadmium in chocolate and cocoa products are not exceeded.

Quality of cocoa beans optimised in country of origin

Because we have our own subsidiary company in the Dominican Republic, which is the source of most of the cocoa beans we process, we have been able over the past few years to optimise the quality of our cocoa beans and prevent any mixing with conventional raw materials. From procuring the beans from small-scale farmers, through fermentation and export to processing and sale of the finished product, all stages of the process are in PRONATEC’s own hands.

Cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder will be "ROC" certified in 2024

From 2024, our cocoa products will also be available with the US Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) label. ROC uses internationally recognised organic labels as a baseline. From there, it adds important requirements for soil health, animal welfare and fair terms for farmers.