• Barry Callebaut and Mexican Grupo Bimbo sign a new long-term outsourcing agreement
• Delivery of up to 32,000 tonnes of chocolate products annually

Barry Callebaut AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, and Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, one of the largest food companies in Latin America, announced today the signing of a new long-term supply agreement for Bimbo’s operations in Mexico. Under the terms of the agreement, Barry Callebaut will supply the plants of Grupo Bimbo with up to 32,000 tonnes of chocolate products annually for its domestic market, through the company’s Mexican factories in Toluca and Monterrey. The projected volumes will start immediately.

As a result of the agreement, Barry Callebaut will invest approximately CHF 15 million (EUR 12 million / USD 16 million).

In Mexico, as well as in many other countries in the Americas, Grupo Bimbo is the leader in the baking industry.

Juergen Steinemann, CEO of Barry Callebaut, said: “The new outsourcing agreement with Grupo Bimbo is a further landmark in opening up the promising market potential in Mexico. This agreement confirms the trend in outsourcing and our strategic focus on emerging markets.”

The parties agreed not to disclose any further terms of the agreement.

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About Grupo Bimbo:
Grupo Bimbo is one of the largest baking companies in the world in terms of production and sales volume. As the market leader in the Americas, Grupo Bimbo has 155 plants and 1,000 distribution centers strategically located in 19 countries throughout the Americas and Asia. Its main product lines include sliced bread, buns, cookies, snack cakes, English muffins, bagels, pre-packaged foods, tortillas, salted snacks and confectionery products, among others. Grupo Bimbo produces over 7,000 products and has one of the most extensive direct distribution networks in the world, with more than 50,000 routes and more than 125,000 employees. Grupo Bimbo’s shares have traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange since 1980 under the ticker symbol BIMBO.

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.