INDIA – Leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, Barry Callebaut has inaugurated a new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility, located in Baramati, India.
The Baramati facility is Barry Callebaut’s third factory in India and represents the company’s largest investment in the country to date.
The new chocolate factory and warehouse includes an R&D lab and assembly lines capable of manufacturing chocolate and compound in different delivery formats.
This will enable the company cater to the various needs of its customers – international food manufacturers, local confectioneries and semi-industrial bakers and patisseries.
The new plant also features a variety of energy and water-saving solutions in the areas of infrastructure, production equipment and the overall facility energy control system.
Barry said the new factory in celebrates India’s rich chocolate heritage and marks a new milestone in the company’s history of direct investment in India.
“It underlines our commitment to the world’s second most populous country, a confectionery market with great potential,” Barry Callebaut said.
The company has another chocolate factory in Pune (Maharashtra) and a specialties and decorations factory also located in Baramati.
Once fully operational, the 20,000 square meter Baramati facility will employ between 100 to 120 people, thus creating new skilled jobs, mainly in engineering and production.
In addition to supplying industrial chocolate to food manufacturers and confectioneries, the factory in Baramati will also produce sustainable chocolate and compound products under the Van Houten Professional brand in the country.
Opening of the new facility comes against a backdrop of soaring demand for high-quality chocolate in India with the country being considered one of the fastest-growing markets for the chocolate confectionery industry.
The sales volume of chocolate confectionery in India grew +15% in 2019 and at a CAGR of +9% between 2014 and 2019, according to Nielsen.
Barry Callebaut says it has seen double-digit growth in India over the past four years. It also reports to have experienced an enthusiastic consumer response towards innovative chocolate such as Ruby chocolate.
Together with its existing CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ Center and sales office in Mumbai, the company is well-positioned to expand its capacity to meet the rising demand for chocolate as well as help the company achieve its ambition of manufacturing the finest “Make in India” chocolate.
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