The story of Oro de Cacao
From Zurich University of Applied Sciences to pilot production
The story of Oro de Cacao began in 2006 at the ZHAW in Wädenswil. And that's where it almost came to an end if Dieter Meier hadn't heard of the crazy idea of cold extraction. Jack of all trades Meier acquired all rights and patents in 2015, founded Oro de Cacao, set up pilot production in Wallisellen, and sold the first chocolate in Zurich in 2017.
Chocolate and semi-finished products from Freienbach
Oro de Cacao is now produced in Freienbach and sold in leading food and delicatessen stores as well as online. As a second business segment, Oro de Cacao offers semi-finished products such as cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa polyphenol powder, chocolate paste, and its processing expertise to business customers worldwide.
The story in fast forward
The Zurich University of Applied Sciences develops a novel process for chocolate production.
Dieter Meier acquires all rights and worldwide patents. He founds Oro de Cacao AG.
Construction of a pilot plant in Zurich-Wallisellen in Switzerland.
Opening of the “Chocolat Dieter Meier” shop in Zurich and launch of the “DM” single origin chocolate.
Honored with numerous awards from 2018 onward.
Construction of the new, cutting-edge chocolate factory in Freienbach/Schwyz.
Switzerland-wide listing of Oro de Cacao in the exclusive Globus department stores.
B2B offers on technological services and semi-finished products. Research on cocoa flavanols.
B2C continuous expansion of market presence.
Market entry in the EU and Asia.
New Tunmel brand launched in Japan.
Dieter Meier, the visionary behind Oro de Cacao
Dieter Meier has been a pioneer throughout his life, whether as an artist, musician, or entrepreneur. His originality, courage, and imagination in rethinking what already exists are respectful and visionary. The values he lives by — creativity, independence, and innovative spirit — remain timeless. His belief in bold ideas, such as the cold extraction of cocoa, fits perfectly with his character.
At home in the world, rooted in Switzerland
Chocolate is almost synonymous with Swissness. It's no wonder that many Swiss chocolate manufacturers advertise their roots. We too: Our founder is Swiss, the owner families live in Switzerland and we produce in Freienbach, Schwyz adhering to the highest Swiss quality standards. We are cosmopolitan and broaden our horizons. We have further developed and perfected an old process from Central America, know our cocoa farmers in the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Peru. We now sell Oro de Cacao and semi-finished products around the world.
For us, that is Swissness — Oro de Cacao is at home in the world, but rooted in Switzerland.
Our team
Our team stands for quality and innovation
We're looking for reinforcements!
Oro de Cacao stands for innovation and implementation of new ideas. We empower you to develop your full potential.
Do you want to realize new ideas and make full use of your potential? Then you've come to the right place. We at Oro de Cacao have developed a production process that is revolutionizing the chocolate industry. Would you like to support us? Oro de Cacao is looking for creative and courageous people who think entrepreneurially, are teamplayers and take responsibility. Together with you, we want to enrich our world and strive to produce the world's best chocolate.
Apply now! But watch out:
A job at Oro de Cacao isn't just chocolate...
Vacancies
We are looking for motivated and talented people to join our team.