The ordinary Annual General Meeting of Barry Callebaut AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, was held on Wednesday, December 11, 2002, in Zurich under the chairmanship of Andreas Schmid, Chairman of the Board, and adopted every motion proposed by the Board. The dividend per registered share was increased from CHF 6.70 for the previous year to CHF 6.90. Ernst & Young AG, Zurich, were elected as auditors and group auditors of the company for fiscal year 2002/03.

Revising the company’s by-laws in the sense of corporate governance, the shareholders ap-proved the proposed change of the term of office of the members of the Board of Directors to one year. The General Assembly re-elected the present directors Rolando Benedick, Dr Jo-hann Christian Jacobs, Andreas W. Keller, Andreas Schmid (Chairman) and Pierre Vermaut for another term of office of one year.
179 shareholders attended the meeting, representing 3,958,961 shares or 76.6% of the share capital.

Barry Callebaut:
With annual sales of CHF 2.6 billion, Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products. Subsequent to the recent acquisition of the German Stollwerck Group, the company’s annual sales will rise to CHF 3.3 billion in fiscal year 2002/03. Barry Callebaut operates some 30 production facilities in 16 countries and employs approximately 7,500 people. The company is organized into four strategic business units: Cocoa, Sourcing & Risk Management, Food Manufacturers, Gourmet & Specialties and Consumer Products.
The company’s customers range from industrial processors, such as the world famous branded con-sumer goods manufacturers who produce chocolate, confectionery, biscuits, dairy products, ice cream and breakfast cereals incorporating Barry Callebaut’s products, to artisanal users, including hotels, gastronomy, chocolate makers, pastry chefs and bakers, to partners in the food retailing industry for whom the Barry Callebaut Group produces branded, customer label and other consumer products. Barry Callebaut also provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing.
The holding company, Barry Callebaut AG, has been listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange since June 1998 (ticker symbol BARN). The fully paid-up share capital amounts to CHF 517 million, divided into registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 100 each.