Barry Callebaut completes facility expansions in US and Canada

Swiss chocolate and cocoa products manufacturer Barry Callebaut has completed several expansion investments in three of its facilities located in North America.

The company noted that the expansions at its facilities located in St Hyacinthe, Quebec, and Chatham, Ontario, in Canada, as well as St Albans, Vermont, in the US, were carried out with an investment of $30m.

The investments are said to be in line with the company’s plans that were announced earlier.

Expansions included increased footprint and enhanced capabilities for specialty products.

Barry Callebaut Americas Region CEO and president Peter Boone said: “We continue to invest in our product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities.

“The completion of these investments demonstrates our commitment to a high level of service and product availability for our expanding customer base.”

The investment in the St Hyacinthe facility has involved the addition of a liquid chocolate line and improved capabilities for the production of dairy-free chocolates, while at the Chatham plant, Barry Callebaut introduced additional liquid storage capacity to expand the variety of products available to customers.

Building space was expanded and enhanced for the production of coloured and flavoured compounds at the St Albans location.

In June, Barry Callebaut signed a letter of intent with the Ghana Cocoa Board in order to strengthen their cooperation on sustainable cocoa farming initiatives.

The company, which reported annual sales of about $6.9bn in the fiscal year 2016-17, runs nearly 60 production facilities worldwide.

It serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional chocolate users.