Since 2014, the international transport and logistics company cargo-partner has organised the export of Zotter. Founded in 1999, the chocolate factory’s range includes more than 400 different organic, Fairtrade and EMAS certified chocolates. The products are distributed to approximately 4,000 retail outlets worldwide, of which 80 per cent are located in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
In addition to its branch in Styria with 180 employees, Zotter has been operating a “chocolate theater” with 30 employees in Shanghai since 2014. This combination of chocolate factory, specialty shop, cinema and museum offers visitors a range of interactive chocolate experiences. In order to ensure a reliable and efficient logistics solution for this new location, Zotter needed an experienced logistics provider.
For this purpose, cargo-partner developed a door-to-airport solution, which includes the collection of the gourmet chocolates in Austria and their air transport to China adhering to a strict, jointly defined schedule. To ensure that the taste and quality of these exclusive sweets is preserved until they reach their their destination, the goods are transported in temperature-controlled containers at a constant temperature of 25 ° C.
Especially in summer this is of the utmost importance, as the outside temperatures in both Austria and China can rise to over 30 ° C. As soon as the goods arrive at the airport, cargo-partner immediately transports them to the nearest warehouse to ensure a gapless cold chain. Since all Zotter chocolates are handmade and organically produced, they have a relatively short shelf life of a few months. Therefore, cargo-partner always chooses the fastest flights and ships with departures available as soon as possible.
Alex Shen, Admin Manager of Zotter Shanghai, appreciates this reliable cooperation: “The cargo-partner team offers us a fast and cost-efficient solution for our imports to China. Careful handling, tight schedules and temperature control throughout the shipment ensure that our exclusive chocolate keeps its quality to the finish.”
