After more than a year of construction and installation, PRONATEC opened its cocoa processing plant in the canton of Schaffhausen in May 2022. For more than 45 years, everything at PRONATEC has revolved around the distribution of fairly traded and sustainably produced products for the global food industry and food trade. The new plant in Beringen will process 15,000 tonnes of cocoa beans annually and is the first of its kind in Switzerland. Another unique feature is that all three important semi-finished products - cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder - can be produced in the same factory. These, in turn, are the starting products for the production of numerous food products such as cocoa drinks or chocolate, as well as various cosmetics. 

Previously, the semi-finished products were produced by external partners abroad. With its own plant, all process steps from the procurement of cocoa beans from small farmers, fermentation and export to processing and sales are now in PRONATEC's hands. This means that the value chain is fully traceable for the company. 

PRONATEC currently employs 25 people at its site in the canton of Schaffhausen, and the company is aiming for a three-shift operation in the future, when it will employ up to 35 people. In the long term, the company plans to double production - and to invest further in the Schaffhausen site to achieve this. 

Do you also want to become part of the food ecosystem in the canton of Schaffhausen? Then click on our food tech section on the right and find out more!