• Expanding liquid and chocolate molding capacity in Northeast
• Establishing Midwest presence with agreement to purchase the assets of a facility in Chatham, Ontario

Barry Callebaut AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, announced today plans for additional investments in the core chocolate molding capacity in its facility in St Albans, Vermont. The company also said it entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of the Chatham, Ontario facility of Batory Industries Company. Together with its facility in Robinson, Illinois, Barry Callebaut will have two facilities to service customers in the Midwest market. These expansion projects will accommodate growth in the region by adding approximately 60,000 tonnes to production capacity, investing a total of CHF 26.8 million (EUR 22.5 million / USD 27.9 million).

Juergen Steinemann, CEO of Barry Callebaut, said: “Barry Callebaut remains consistently dedicated to accelerating top line growth and significantly investing in the future. Through investment in our existing facilities and expansion through acquisition in North America, we have found an ideal solution to address current and future business growth. The increase of our production capacities will support the further development of our industrial business in the region while also gaining geographic advantage with our customers by adding a key Midwest facility.”

Coupled with 2011 investments in Mexico and Pennsauken, New Jersey, and with the January 2012 acquisition of the Gourmet products manufacturer, Mona Lisa Foods Products, Inc. in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Barry Callebaut’s two-year investments in the North American region total CHF 95.9 million (EUR 80.4 million / USD 99.7 million); a clear demonstration of the company’s dedication to its strategic pillars in this vital market.

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Barry Callebaut:
With annual sales of about CHF 4.6 billion (EUR 3.6 billion/USD 5.0 billion) for fiscal year 2010/11, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finished chocolate product. Barry Callebaut is present in 27 countries, operates around 40 production facilities and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce of about 6,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves the entire food industry focusing on industrial food manufacturers, artisans and professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), the latter with its two global brands Callebaut^® and Cacao Barry^®. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. Cost leadership is another important reason why global as well as local food manufacturers work together with Barry Callebaut. Through its broad range of sustainability initiatives and research activities, the company works with farmers, farmer organizations and other partners to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods.