Josef Zotter: „Chocolate can leave a very bitter aftertaste if you consider that cocoa growers work under severe conditions while others profit from the fruits of their labour. That’s why we support fair trade – not because we want to use a showcase product to raise our profile, but because we are convinced that it’s the right choice for our entire product range.“

The main ingredients in chocolate – cocoa and cane sugar – do not grow in the fields outside the Zotter chocolate factory in Styria, Austria. That is why Zotter sources cocoa, sugar, and coffee not only certified organic but also through fair trade. Since 2001, Zotter has traveled regularly to cocoa-growing regions, because quality begins with the raw material and the people who cultivate it. Zotter sources premium-quality cocoa from selected cooperatives in Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Colombia, Madagascar, Tanzania, São Tomé, Togo, Ghana, and Uganda.

Fair Trade and Direct Trade

The entire Zotter company is Fair Trade verified. Zotter is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which monitors compliance with the 10 principles of fair trade, including fair payment, no child labor, transparency, and care for the environment. Beyond certification, Zotter guarantees customers a very high standard of raw material quality, direct knowledge of its suppliers, and physical traceability throughout the supply chain.

Entirely Fair According to the WFTO’s Basic Principles

The WFTO is the only global network made up of actors along the entire fair trade value chain, from production to retail. Its goal is to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged producers by expanding their market opportunities, while also working at the policy level to change trading conditions over the long term. The WFTO guarantee system is a monitoring framework that combines internal and external oversight to strengthen transparency and credibility across fair trade organizations.

The WFTO audits entire companies, not just individual products. This means that member companies are genuinely and completely fair, from top to bottom.

The 10 Fair Trade Standards of the WFTO

  • Principle 1: Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
  • Principle 2: Transparency and accountability
  • Principle 3: Fair trade practices
  • Principle 4: Payment of a fair price
  • Principle 5: Ensuring no child labor or forced labor
  • Principle 6: Commitment to non-discrimination, gender equity, and freedom of association
  • Principle 7: Ensuring good working conditions
  • Principle 8: Providing capacity building and skills development
  • Principle 9: Promoting fair trade
  • Principle 10: Respect for the environment

For more, visit www.wfto.com.

Frequenty Asked Questions About Zotter & Fair Trade
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What Is Fair Trade, Really?

For Zotter as a chocolate maker, cocoa farmers are essential partners, because they are the ones who determine the quality of the chocolate. That is why Zotter purchases exclusively from cooperatives that are certified organic, operate according to fair trade principles, and are capable of delivering high-quality cocoa with deep experience in cultivation.

Zotter pays the world market price plus a quality premium, plus the established organic premium and the fair trade premium. This creates a genuine win-win: the farmers receive a fair price paid through their cooperative, and Zotter receives the best cocoa in organic and fair quality. For the cocoa farmer, it makes sense to invest in quality cultivation. For Zotter, it means the finest raw material for making outstanding chocolate.

Fair trade, as the name implies, is a trading relationship that is fair. A business relationship on equal terms. Zotter’s trading partners include more than 20 cocoa cooperatives in 16 countries across the Global South.

A cooperative is a kind of farmers’ association. Individual cocoa farmers, many of whom cultivate relatively small plots, join together to access the world market collectively. Organic cocoa farmers typically grow cocoa in mixed cultivation alongside other plants, which supports biodiversity and reduces the need for irrigation. Because individual farms produce limited volumes, the cooperative pools the harvest and manages the steps of fermentation, drying, and sorting before the dried cocoa is sold to chocolate makers. The cooperative is also responsible for organic and fair trade certification, as well as sales and price negotiations.

When Zotter purchases a tonne of cocoa, it always pays: world market price + quality premium + organic premium + fair trade premium. When a full container (approximately 20 tonnes) is available, Zotter buys directly from the cooperative. For smaller quantities, the purchase goes through an importer who manages the logistics and divides the container among multiple buyers.

The fair trade premium is not paid to individual farmers directly. It goes to the cooperative as a community and must be used for collective purposes. The farmers decide together how to invest it: reforestation projects, soil improvement, school construction, infrastructure, medical care, literacy programs. These are investments that benefit the whole community.

Over the years, Zotter has built very good working relationships with engaged and innovative cocoa cooperatives. These partnerships are long-term by design, because consistent quality and genuine trust are only built over time.

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Mass Balance: How It Works and Why Zotter Does Not Use It

Zotter left the Fairtrade seal system in 2018 because it could not identify with the tolerance of mass balancing. Here is what that means in practice.

Mass balancing allows a chocolate producer to purchase fair trade cocoa for a portion of its production and conventional cocoa for the rest, mix them together, and still label a portion of the finished bars as fair trade. For example: a producer buys fair trade cocoa for 10 bars and conventional cocoa for 90 bars. The cocoa is blended. 100 bars are produced. 10 carry the fair trade logo, even though each bar may contain only 10% certified cocoa.

Zotter does not accept this. Customers who choose fair trade and pay a higher price for it deserve a guarantee that the product they are holding actually contains fair trade ingredients. That is why Zotter enforces physical traceability across its entire supply chain. What is stated on the packaging is what is in the bar. No exceptions.

Fairness, Fair Prices, and Respect

Zotter cultivates warm, close working relationships with its cocoa farmers. Top quality has its price, and Zotter pays well above the global market rate. These are not handouts. They are a recognition that the farmer’s skill, knowledge, and investment in quality are what make exceptional chocolate possible.

Zotter also actively supports social projects that improve harvest quality, optimize production, protect rare fine-flavor cocoa varieties such as the Criollo, and improve the long-term living conditions of cocoa farming communities. Projects like “Quality not Poverty” in Nicaragua, “Cocoa not Cocaine” in Colombia, and “Chocolate for School” in Uganda are examples of how Zotter translates its fair trade commitment into concrete action.

Two sourcing partnerships worth highlighting:

Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania is run by agricultural economists who carry out modern training programs to improve quality for cocoa farmers, with the entire harvest purchased at the best market prices. This is fair trade at eye level: training, quality, and a price that flows back to the farmers because everyone benefits from the high overall result.

Maya Mountain Cacao in Belize cultivates ancient Mayan cocoa varieties in mixed-culture farming, with best-in-class hand-picked quality. One particularly meaningful detail: wages are paid directly to the women in the cooperative, so that the income reliably reaches families.

Josef Zotter: “As a cocoa-processing business, we are responsible for the working and living conditions of our farmers in the south. Fair trade practices represent life-changing opportunities for small farmers and plantation workers in those cocoa-producing countries. They are able to emancipate themselves from fluctuating global market prices and build a self-determined and secure existence without child labor and environmental exploitation.”

 

The Fair Trade Share on Every Zotter Product

The fair trade share of each Zotter product is indicated on the packaging, marked with an asterisk (*). Zotter sources cocoa, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar, whole cane sugar, and coffee entirely through fair trade.

Not all ingredients come from the Global South. Some, such as whole milk powder from Tyrol, Austria, are sourced locally and are not subject to fair trade certification, because fair trade applies where it is meaningful and verifiable. For this reason, the fair trade share is 100% only in pure dark chocolates made exclusively from cocoa and sugar. Bars that also contain ingredients from Austria, the EU, or other regions will show a fair trade share that reflects the proportion of globally sourced ingredients.

This transparency is deliberate. Zotter does not claim more than it can stand behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there child labor on fair trade certified cocoa farms?

No. Child labor is strictly prohibited under fair trade guidelines and is continuously monitored. What you may occasionally see is children present on family farms in rural areas where there is no childcare available, or older children accompanying parents to learn about farming. Children may be present, but they are not permitted to work. The fair trade premium is also frequently invested in building schools and childcare facilities to ensure education and childcare are available to farming communities.

How does Zotter verify fair trade compliance?

By reviewing certifications. Fair trade cocoa cannot be verified visually or sensorically, so Zotter relies on the certification systems in place, specifically FLO/FLOCERT, which it considers the strictest in the industry because it is based on verified facts rather than declarations of intent. Zotter also conducts regular visits to cocoa-growing regions, because personal relationships and direct observation matter.

What does Zotter pay for cocoa?

Zotter pays the current world market price plus a quality premium, plus an organic premium, plus a fair trade premium. Cocoa prices have been highly volatile in recent years. The world market price for conventional cocoa sat above USD 2,000 per tonne for many years, climbed to nearly USD 12,000 per tonne at its peak, and currently moves around USD 6,000 per tonne. Zotter pays between USD 4,000 and USD 7,000 per tonne for premium organic quality, which is a multiple of the world market price and well above the standard for organic and fair trade cocoa.

Do the higher cocoa prices reach the farmers?

In Zotter’s case, yes. Cocoa farmers in the fair trade system own their land and their trees, which gives them independence. They are organized in cooperatives that have been trained to understand current world market prices so they are not disadvantaged in negotiations. The individual farmer sells unfermented wet cocoa to the cooperative, which processes, certifies, and sells the dried cocoa on the world market. The farmer receives a price based on quality and timing of harvest. The current high prices do benefit farmers, and allow them to reinvest in their farms.

Does Zotter operate its own plantations?

No. Zotter does not own or manage any plantations. This is a deliberate choice: remaining free from plantation ownership allows Zotter to maintain independence in quality assurance and sourcing decisions.

Does Zotter buy cocoa directly from cooperatives?

Yes, when the order fills a full container (approximately 20 tonnes). For smaller quantities, Zotter works through an import company that handles logistics, conducts quality control on site, and manages documentation.

What happens if there are irregularities in a cooperative?

The issue is raised immediately. Orders are suspended, the cooperative is placed on a waiting list, and a special audit is conducted by the certification body. The cooperation only resumes once the cooperative can demonstrate that internal controls are functioning again. Persistent problems result in the end of the partnership.

Why is Zotter chocolate more expensive than most other chocolate?

Because quality, fair sourcing, and transparency all have a cost. Zotter processes only organic raw materials, and all ingredients from the Global South are fair trade verified. Chocolate is made in Austria under Austrian labor conditions, with employees who receive well above collective wage rates, organic meals provided by the company, and free childcare during school holidays. Zotter pays quality premiums, organic premiums, and fair trade premiums to its suppliers, often amounting to twice the world market price. Zotter pays taxes in Austria. And Zotter’s hand-crafted chocolates require a level of skilled labor that no machine can replicate. All of this is reflected in the price, and we believe it is worth it.

Is a fair trade certification 100% secure?

No. No certification system is perfect, and Zotter is honest about that. In less developed countries, corruption and inconsistency exist. That is precisely why Zotter invests in long-term relationships, direct visits to growing regions, and the strictest available certification framework, rather than relying on paperwork alone. The alternative, doing nothing and having no oversight at all, is far worse.

Why do large corporations keep announcing fair trade commitments that never seem to materialize?

Because it is easy to say you intend to change without actually changing. As Zotter puts it: similar to the climate debate. Declarations of intent are not enough. The entire cocoa industry needs to pay fair prices and invest in education and infrastructure so that real change can happen. Zotter will continue to push for this.

For more on the World Fair Trade Organization, visit www.wfto.com.

 

All our products containing dairy do not carry the USDA Organic Seal, as there is an exemption in the organic equivalency agreement between the U.S. and the EU regarding the use of antibiotics in dairy production. Our products are 100% organic certified under EU standards. All vegan, dairy-free products are also 100% USDA organic certified. Each product page includes detailed ingredient information.