Loacker S.p.A. (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Loacker AG) is an Italian confectionery company, based in

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and specialized in the production of

wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry 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 ...

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

and derivative products.

History

The company was founded in 1925 in the historic city center of

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

by the Austrian confectioner Alfons Loacker. Back then, he opened a small store with two assistants in the capital of South Tyrol, at Piazza Domenicani to be precise. Over the years, the confectionery store became too small until 1974 marked the transition from a small regional

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

to an industrial reality, by moving away from the city. Armin Loacker, Alfon's son, chose the Renon plateau in the heart of the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...

(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."

Manufacturing

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 United States and China. In 2022 Loacker announced the initiation of a multi-year partnership with

Sammontana Sammontana is an Italian Ice cream manufacturer based in Empoli, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean ...

for the production of a new range of Loacker-branded ice creams.

Products and ingredients

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 Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. 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 Lorenz is an originally German name derived from the Roman surname Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum". Given name People with the given name Lorenz include: * Prince Lorenz of Belgium (born 1955), member of the Belgian royal family by h ...

, Pema,

Twinings Twinings () is a British marketer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually used company log ...

, Ovomaltine and Darbo in Italy.

Loacker Café

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 Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

. 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.

Competition

Some of Loacker's competitors on both national and international markets include: * Baileys The Original Irish Cream Chocolate Twists * Baileys The Original Irish Cream Mini Delights * Callebaut Rubens - Bastoncini di Cioccolato Bianco * Callebaut Van Gogh Marmorizzato - Bastoncini di Cioccolato Bianco e Fondente *

Tunnock's Thomas Tunnock Limited, commonly known as Tunnock's, is a confectionery company based in Uddingston, Scotland. It is headed by Boyd Tunnock, grandson of Thomas. In 2013, a joint report by Family Business United and Close Brothers Asset Managem ...

Real Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits * Manner * Galbusera *

Ferrero Ferrero (Italian: , Spanish: ) is a surname of Italian (from Piedmont) and Spanish origin that means 'smith', the person who works with iron, in parallel with surnames like Ferraro, Ferrari and Smith. Notable people with the surname Ferrero inclu ...

* Bahlsen *

Milka Milka is a brand of chocolate confectionery, originally made in Switzerland in 1901 by Suchard. It has then been produced in Lörrach, Germany for the past 100 years. Since 2012 it has been owned by US-based company Mondelez International, when ...

Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...

Crispy Rolls

References

External links

Company website

Loacker U.S. website
* {{Commons category-inline Food and drink companies established in 1925 Manufacturing companies based in South Tyrol 1925 establishments in Italy Italian brands Confectionery companies of Italy