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Barry Callebaut has broken ground on a third factory in India, which will make the country the company’s largest chocolate producing market in the Asia Pacific. Located in Neemrana, around 120 km southwest of Delhi, the greenfield facility will cover 20,000 square metres and is expected to be operational in 2024. The new chocolate and compound factory – which joins Barry Callebaut’s two facilities in Baramati – will serve the needs of a variety of customers, including food manufacturers, local confectioneries and semi-industrial bakers and patisseries. In addition to assembly lines, the site will house a warehouse and research and development laboratory. With the project, Barry Callebaut says that it reaffirms its commitment to India, where it has seen double-digit volume growth over the last five years. Barry Callebaut currently has more than 160 employees in the country and over 1,900 across the Asia-Pacific region, where it says it is one of the largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturers. “Our ambition in India is to become the market leader for high-quality chocolate and cocoa products,” said Jo Thys, president of Barry Callebaut in the Asia Pacific. “The creation of our third factory in India clearly displays Barry Callebaut's confidence in this growth market and enables us to get even closer to our customers.” Dhruva Jyoti Sanyal, managing director for Barry Callebaut India, said: “India is among the fastest growing chocolate markets in the world. Over the years, we have invested significantly in our local manufacturing and sales capabilities, which positions us well for the future. “The new factory will act as a northern hub, bring us closer to customers and create opportunities for us to introduce our high-quality products and industry-leading innovations.”