Unbroken pioneering spirit at Pronatec

The company visit to Pronatec AG by House of Winterthur and Mayor Michael Künzle was full of surprises. It quickly became clear that there is a lot of pioneering spirit behind this seemingly unassuming SME in Hegi, Winterthur. If you take a look at the company's history, it is clear that a pioneering spirit has been a priority at Pronatec from the very beginning.

In 1976, Pronatec was the first company in the world to produce and sell whole cane sugar Sucanat. Twenty years later, Pronatec was also the first company in the world to launch an organic and Fairtrade chocolate. Another first: Pronatec built the first factory for semi-finished cocoa products in Switzerland. This bold move paid off, as the demand for sustainable raw materials such as cocoa and vanilla is constantly increasing. Sandro Marti, Head of Marketing & Chocolate, is currently struggling to keep track of the number of employees. "We're currently hiring a lot of new people," he says with a laugh.

Cooperatives as a prerequisite

Pronatec AG's recipe for success: the company, managed by David Yersin in the second generation, relies on regional partnerships in the producing countries. To maintain these partnerships, the third generation of Yersins regularly travels to the producers, for example in the Dominican Republic. In general, it is a central concern of Pronatec to avoid the intermediate trade and to work with small regional farms. In addition, the cooperative's organizational form enables the farmers to channel part of the income generated into projects that promote the expansion of infrastructure or training on site. "In order to be able to produce under the Fairtrade label, a democratically organized cooperative is one of the most important prerequisites for our producers in the respective countries," says David Yersin.

Loyalty to the Winterthur location

The company is active in the production of cocoa and sugar cane in several countries in South and Central America, as well as in Madagascar for vanilla and spices. Despite its international orientation, Pronatec is and remains a Winterthur-based company whose employees are rooted in the region. When asked by Michael Künzle how satisfied Pronatec AG is with the Winterthur Business location , David Yersin answers without beating around the bush: "We like it here. We are happy to stay in Winterthur!"

Unknown, but omnipresent

Emmi, Halba and even Lush are among the customers of the rather unknown Pronatec AG. Founded in 1976 with the aim of producing and marketing whole cane sugar, the company now employs over 60 people. Its business activities are no longer limited to cane sugar. Cocoa, vanilla and spices are cultivated by small farmers in the countries of origin, distributed by Pronatec and in some cases processed further. Pronatec will soon even be the first company in Switzerland to process cocoa into cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder.