Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, today will unveil its new $20 million state-of-the-art chocolate factory in American Canyon, Calif., during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony with Cecil Shaver, mayor of American Canyon, and other local dignitaries.

“The new facility in Napa Valley was built to better meet the needs of our rapidly growing customer base on the U.S. West Coast. In the last two years alone, Barry Callebaut has seen sales increase by 8 to 10 percent in the region, and California represents the biggest chocolate market in the United States,” said Patrick De Maeseneire, chief executive officer of Barry Callebaut. “With our new production facility, we are better positioned to deliver our high-quality chocolate products to West Coast customers quickly and efficiently.”

The 150,000-square-foot production facility, which is located at 1175 Commerce Blvd. in American Canyon, features production lines for the manufacture of approximately 27,500 tons (25,000 metric tons) of solid chocolate products per year for food manufacturers and artisanal customers. The site, which currently employs 52 people, was selected in part because of its proximity to Napa Valley and the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif.

“Our objective in developing the new Barry Callebaut production facility was to shorten our actual delivery time to our key customers on the West Coast, while also maintaining superior quality and competitive operating costs,” said De Maeseneire. “This ideal location enables us to provide a variety of products to food manufacturers and gourmet chocolate users, including chocolatiers, pastry chefs and bakers.”

The American Canyon facility also will provide warehousing, distribution and customer service for all finished goods of the Barry Callebaut Group on the West Coast and Mexico.