 | |
| Company type | Società per azioni |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | April 3, 1925 in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy |
| Founder | Alfons Loacker |
| Headquarters | Auna di Sotto/Unterinn, Italy |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Revenue | €373.06 million (2021) |
Number of employees | 1,056 (January 2022) |
| Website | www |
Loacker S.p.A. (in German Loacker AG) is an Italian confectionery company, based in South Tyrol, Italy and specialized in the production of wafers, chocolate and derivative products.
The company was founded in 1925 in the historic city center of Bolzano by the Austrian confectioner Alfons Loacker. [1] [2] Back then, he opened a small store with two assistants in the capital of South Tyrol, at Piazza Domenicani to be precise. [3] Over the years, the confectionery store became too small until 1974 marked the transition from a small regional bakery to an industrial reality, by moving away from the city. Armin Loacker, Alfons' son, chose the Renon plateau in the heart of the Dolomites (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site) to produce his own wafers, thereby abiding by his motto: "a natural product is manufactured in a natural environment."
Loacker nowadays has two plants, one in Auna di Sotto on the Renon and a second one in Heinfels in East Tyrol (Austria). At both production sites wafers and chocolate specialties are produced at more than 1,000 meters above sea level. Today, the third generation leads the company: Armin's sons Andreas and Martin Loacker together with his nephew Ulrich Zuenelli who works as executive chairman.
According to the latest data concerning the South Tyrolean company, Loacker has 1,056 employees. In 2021, alone 966 million pieces were produced and 37,534 tons of products were sold which amounted to net sales of 373.06 million Euros. Italy, Saudi Arabia and Israel were the highest-consuming countries, followed by the USA and China. [4]
In 2022, Loacker announced the initiation of a multi-year partnership with Sammontana for the production of a new range of Loacker-branded ice creams. [5]
The Napolitaner (Hazelnut) flavored ranges are amongst Loacker's best-known products. The name "Napolitaner" derives from the hazelnuts which represent the main ingredient of the cream in the wafers and used to be sourced from plantations near Naples.
Nowadays, Loacker has initiated four sustainability pathways for both production and sourcing of raw materials, aiming to increase verticalization of its own supply chain.
In addition to the vanilla Bourbon pods from Madagascar and the cocoa beans cultivated in Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, Loacker uses milk powder from Dolomites Milk in Vandoies for its dairy creams. Dolomites Milk is a joint venture between Loacker and the South Tyrolean dairy cooperative BRIMI which comprises 1,100 local farmers. This 10,000 m2 facility is the first plant which is specialized in whey and milk powder in Italy.
Loacker covers part of its hazelnut supply needs through products coming from two company-owned farms located in Tuscany and orchards of 90 more farms which are part of a cultivation project with based on supply chain contracts in Veneto, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche.
Furthermore, Loacker distributes products branded by Lorenz, Pema, Twinings, Ovomaltine and Darbo in Italy.
Besides the production and sale of its own products to both small and large distributors, the group also comprises five Loacker Cafés, all of which are located in Tyrol.
These Cafés represent a mix between a store, where the entire Loacker product assortment is sold, and a confectionery, where people can enjoy freshly baked goods and high-quality coffee. The Cafés are located at historically and strategically important sites to the company, including Bolzano's Piazza Walther in its historic city center, the Twenty shopping mall, the Outlet Center Brennero, Piazza Fiera in Trento and Heinfels, right next to Loacker's production site in Eastern Tyrol.
Some of Loacker's competitors on both national and international markets include:
Ritten is a comune (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy.
Ferrero Rocher is a chocolate and hazelnut confectionery produced by the Italian company Ferrero. Michele Ferrero is credited as the product's creator.
A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They frequently have a waffle surface pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the food's manufacturer or may be patternless. Some chocolate bars, such as Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp, are wafers with chocolate in and around them.
Ferrero International SpA, more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba. Ferrero is a manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world. Ferrero SA is a private company owned by the Ferrero family and has been described as "one of the world's most secretive firms". Reputation Institute's 2009 survey ranked Ferrero as the most reputable company in the world.
Ritter Sport is a brand of chocolate bar from the family-owned Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Waldenbuch, Germany.
Cadbury Roses is a brand of chocolates made by Cadbury. Introduced in the UK in 1938, they were named after the English packaging equipment company "Rose Brothers" based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, that manufactured and supplied the machines that wrapped the chocolates.
Kinder Bueno is a chocolate biscuit and wafer confection made by Italian confectionery maker Ferrero. Part of the Kinder Chocolate brand line, Kinder Bueno is a hazelnut-cream-filled wafer covered in milk chocolate and a dark chocolate drizzle.
Swiss chocolate is chocolate produced in Switzerland. While cacao beans and other ingredients such as sugar cane originate from outside Switzerland, the actual production of the chocolate must take place in Switzerland. Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality with many famous international chocolate brands.
Cailler is a Swiss chocolate brand and production factory based in Broc. It was founded in Vevey by François-Louis Cailler in 1819 and remained independent until the early 20th century, when it associated with other producers. Shortly before, Cailler opened its main factory at Broc in 1898. The company was finally bought by Nestlé in 1929 and became a brand. Cailler is the oldest chocolate brand still in existence in Switzerland.
Guylian is a Belgian chocolate brand and manufacturer best known for its seashell shaped pralines. The company was founded in 1958 in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium by Guy Foubert and is now owned by the South Korean company Lotte Confectionery.
Belgian chocolate is chocolate produced in Belgium. A major industry since the 19th century, today it forms an important part of the nation's economy and culture.
Quadratini is an Italian brand of cube wafer biscuits with layered sheets. It is produced by the company Loacker, a business founded in 1925 in South Tyrol, Italy by Alfons Loacker.
Pesek Zman is an Israeli brand of chocolate bar, manufactured by Strauss Group's Strauss Israel company under its Elite confectionery brand.
Knoppers is a brand of wafer candy bar layered with hazelnut and milk crème, produced by August Storck, first launched in West Germany in 1983. It has since been sold in over 50 countries, mainly in Europe but also Vietnam, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. A bar weighs 25 grams (0.9 oz) and typically has a light-blue-and-white wrapper. Knoppers are manufactured at Storck production sites in Germany.
Ruby chocolate is a style or distinct variety of chocolate that is pink or purple in colour. Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company, introduced it as a distinct product on 5 September 2017 after beginning development of their product in 2004. It has a pink color, and Barry Callebaut says it is a fourth natural type of chocolate. Some other industry experts have said that some cacao pods are naturally pink or purple in colour, and thus pink chocolate has been available before.
Torta setteveli is a seven-layer cake. Traditionally served at birthdays, it includes chocolate and hazelnuts.
Fruits de mer is a type of Belgian chocolate pralines made of dark and milk chocolate with a nougat filling, in the form of various seafood: seahorses, venus clams, mussels, starfish and various sea snails. The pralines are sold in chocolate shops, in supermarkets, and as handmade products in Konditorei shops.
Kinder is a brand of chocolate produced by Italian multinational confectionery company Ferrero. Products under the Kinder brand include several varieties and are sold in over 125 countries worldwide.
Media related to Loacker at Wikimedia Commons