Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, today announced the opening of a chocolate factory in American Canyon, Napa County, California, to better meet the needs of its rapidly growing customer base on the West Coast.

According to Barry Callebaut officials, the facility is creating 65 jobs, all of which have already been filled. The factory, which will initially have two production lines for the manufacturing of chocolate products designed for industrial and artisanal customers, covers a surface of 150,000 square feet that have been leased for 10 years in an existing building in the Green Island Industrial Park. It will be fully operational on August 1, 2005 and offer a maximum capacity of approx. 25,000 metric tonnes. Warehousing, distribution and customer service for all finished goods of the Barry Callebaut Group on the West Coast will be integrated in the American Canyon facility. 

California is the biggest U.S. chocolate market. Barry Callebaut has grown its sales on the U.S. West Coast by 8-10% over the last two of years. "We decided on the American Canyon location partially because of its proximity to the Napa Valley and the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, and partially because the conversion of an existing building into a chocolate factory was much faster and efficient than building a factory from scratch," said Daniel Emond, head of Operations & Supply Chain, Barry Callebaut North America. "We're extremely pleased to be a part of all the exciting things happening here in Napa Valley, and we look forward to providing California chocolate lovers with the world's best chocolate," he added.

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Barry Callebaut:
With annual sales of more than CHF 4 billion (USD 3.5 billion) for fiscal year 2003/04, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products - from the cocoa bean to the finished product on the store shelf. Barry Callebaut operates more than 30 production facilities in 22 countries and employs some 8,700 people. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to artisanal users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. Barry Callebaut is the parent company of American Brach's Confections, Inc.