German chocolate manufacturer Alfred Ritter has bought Creative Natural Products, the US business behind the Chocolove brand.
The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
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Alfred Ritter operates in the US through its local subsidiary for the Ritter Sport brand, which was set up at the start of 2024.
In a statement, Ralf Hilpüsch, CEO of Ritter Sport USA, said the takeover was a “decisive step in our ambition to build a strong and influential presence in the US chocolate market”.
He added: “Together, our brands are positioned to deliver greater impact, more choice, and enhanced value to the US market than ever before.”
Creative Natural Products, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, will continue to produce Chocolove products at its existing facility in the city.
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By GlobalDataAlfred Ritter, founded in 1912, is based in Waldenbuch in southern Germany.
It also runs a second production site in Breitenbrunn, Austria, alongside subsidiaries in various overseas markets.
The German group said the Chocolove brand, now under the umbrella of Ritter Sport USA, would have “expanded opportunities, while ensuring continuity” for its customer base, workforce and business partners.
Timothy Moley, founder and CEO of Creative Natural Products, said: “Ritter Sport shares our deep commitment to crafting chocolate with integrity. Together, we can reach more consumers, accelerate growth, and further strengthen ethical and sustainable practices.”
In a trading update at the start of this year, Alfred Ritter outlined its intention to mirror in the US the progress it said it has made in the UK.
At the time, Alfred Ritter said the group had “achieved comprehensive listing in a demanding market” like Great Britain within a few years, and that it had set “similarly ambitious goals” for the US.
It added that it had put in place a new distribution strategy which looked to grow presence of the Ritter Sport brand at major US retailers including Walmart, Kroger and Ahold.
Its chief executive Andreas Ronken then said: “We want to have achieved a leading market position there [US] within five to six years and be among the top five.”
Alfred Ritter employs about 1,900 people and reported sales of €605m in 2024.
