Spitz reacted

Crisis team set up for the “cocoa emergency”

The shortage of cocoa beans is a challenge for food manufacturer Spitz, confirms Walter Scherb.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Markus Wenzel, REUTERS)

The worst cocoa bean harvest ever is putting food manufacturers under pressure. Spitz from Attnang-Puchheim (Upper Austria) is also struggling with this. We asked boss Walter Scherb how the family business is reacting to this, and he also revealed how he is dealing with the new normality.

"Chocolate bunny in danger", warned the WWF before Easter, drawing attention to the growing cocoa shortage, which is also affecting food manufacturer Spitz from Attnang-Puchheim.

"We are currently struggling through the worst cocoa bean harvest of all time, which is relevant for cocoa powder and chocolate, for example," confirms Managing Director Walter Scherb.

Emergency team has been set up
Global warming, distortions and poor harvests have led to the situation. "It was actually foreseeable for some time that something could happen, because global stocks of cocoa have been falling since the early 1990s. In combination with a poor harvest, a crisis suddenly arises," says the 34-year-old. Spitz has also responded by setting up an internal emergency team.

Spitz also produces mignon slices in Attnang-Puchheim.(Bild: S. Spitz GmbH)

According to the motto "there's always something", Scherb is no longer easily rattled. He has been at the helm of the family business for five years and has experienced a lot since then, from the pandemic, wars and tense supply chains to the energy crisis and price rises: "It's not going to change. I believe we have to learn to deal with these extreme situations. Hoping for a return to the old normal will not get us anywhere."

The orange harvest was also bad
Nevertheless, he says: "2024 is the first year where a bit of normality is returning, and at the same time we realize that, in addition to Ukraine and corona, there are new issues that are keeping us busy again - such as one of the worst orange harvests ever, which has caused orange juice prices to skyrocket. And now the situation with cocoa."

How do you adapt to this? "Our response is agility and flexibility. In other words, we have set ourselves up in such a way that we can react spontaneously to conflicts and extreme situations."