Austrian chocolate brand sees sweet prospects in Chinese market

In the small town of Bergl in Styria, Austria, there's a "chocolate theater" that draws over 2,000 visitors daily during peak summer months. Over 8,000 kilometers away in Shanghai, there's an almost identical chocolate theater that attracts locals and tourists.

These two theaters are chocolate-themed experience stores opened by Austrian chocolate company Zotter. They integrate tastings with handson experiences, film screenings and exhibitions.

Julia Zotter, junior CEO of the company, says that since entering the Chinese market, the company has received support from the local government and gained the affection of Chinese consumers. Looking to the future, the company has full confidence in the Chinese economy and hopes to deepen cooperation with China.

Zotter is an Austrian family-owned chocolate company founded in 1987 by Josef Zotter. During high school, Josef Zotter's daughter Julia Zotter spent a year in China as an exchange student, where she experienced warm Chinese hospitality and learned to appreciate Chinese culture. When Zotter was considering the company's expansion into new markets, his daughter persuaded the family to explore the Chinese market.

She advocated for introducing a novel business model to China — establishing offline experience stores like the Austrian chocolate theater, where consumers could taste the treats and participate in the chocolate-making process, helping to cultivate a local chocolate culture. In 2014, the Zotter Chocolate Theatre opened in Shanghai's Yangpu District and quickly became a hit.

After more than a decade in the Chinese market, Julia says that China's opening-up policy and favorable business environment have greatly benefited foreign companies like Zotter.