After being granted a business license and opening a sales office in Shanghai, China, in October 2006, Barry Callebaut today laid the foundation stone for a new state-of-the-art chocolate factory in Suzhou, China. Suzhou is located in the Greater Shanghai area and offers an excellent infrastructure in a new industrial park. Construction and start-up time for the new factory will take between 12 and 18 months. The total investment is about CHF 20 million (approx. EUR 13 million). The new factory will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes and offer about 100 new jobs once it is running at full capacity.  

With sales of more than CHF 4 billion, Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products. The company is present in 25 countries and operates more than 30 factories on four continents. CEO Patrick De Maeseneire explains: “Demand for chocolate in China is growing rapidly and will be further spurred by the Olympics in 2008 and the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010. Our new factory in China, which is part of our geographic expansion strategy, will serve industrial food manufacturers and artisans. We want to serve them better by being closer to them, which is why we are following them to this high-growth market. About 500 to 600 million people alone live in a distance of about 300 km from the East China Sea, in the Greater Shanghai area. People are curious and want to explore new things, and their incomes are rising."

Barry Callebaut has been present in Asia-Pacific with a chocolate factory in Singapore since 1997 and a sales office in Japan since 2004.

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Barry Callebaut (www.barry-callebaut.com):
With annual sales of more than CHF 4 billion for fiscal year 2005/06, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products – from the cocoa bean to the finished product on the store shelf. Barry Callebaut is present in 25 countries, operates more than 30 production facilities and employs approximately 8,000 people. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. It also provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing.