Barry Callebaut completes US$25 million North American expansion projects

26 Sep 2017 --- The Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, has completed two expansion projects in the US. Factories located in American Canyon, California and Chicago, Illinois recently received significant investment totaling nearly $25 million, which is within the annual CAPEX budget.

Commencement of the American Canyon facility investment was announced in November of 2016. In addition, Barry Callebaut has opened a new warehouse in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This new warehouse consolidates previous distribution operations and integrates many technological advancements.

“These investments in manufacturing and warehousing demonstrate Barry Callebaut’s continued focus on service and product availability to meet our customers’ needs. As our customer base grows, we continue to invest in infrastructure to support that progress,” says Peter Boone, President, Americas Region.

Recent expansion in the American Canyon, CA factory includes an additional molding line, an additional liquid line, and several other equipment improvements. These investments allow Barry Callebaut to continue its growth among clientele on the West Coast. In its Chicago, IL facility, Barry Callebaut has added a molding line and related infrastructure. This investment in Chicago provides Barry Callebaut the capacity to enhance service levels for Midwest region customers.

Barry Callebaut has also opened a new warehouse in Bethlehem, PA, completely managed in-house. The Bethlehem warehouse includes over 500,000 square feet of temperature-controlled space and will function as the company’s main distribution hub for its business on the East Coast.

At SupplySide West 2017 this week (September 25-28, Las Vegas, NV), Barry Callebaut will expand its Bensdorp range to include Bensdorp Clean Brown and Bensdorp Clean Red. These 2 new cocoa powders are the latest innovations from Bensdorp, a brand with 175 years of cocoa expertise offering a wide range of flavors and colors in its fine cocoa powders. 

Bensdorp Clean cocoa powders are alkalized with baking soda. Using baking soda as the alkalizing agent allows declaration of Bensdorp Clean powders as “cocoa processed with baking soda” instead of “cocoa processed with alkali” on an ingredient label. Extensive consumer research by Barry Callebaut shows that when comparing ingredients lists, the use of the Bensdorp Clean cocoa powders increases product likability, purchase intent and premium perception. 

"We are proud to offer a sophisticated solution to meet increasing demand for recognizable ingredients on-pack. Bensdorp Clean provides truly rich colors and flavors while being processed with baking soda, a consumer-friendly ingredient. The new powders provide all of the traditional benefits of alkalized Bensdorp powders but with a cleaner label,” said Leanne de Muijnck, Global Director of Cocoa R&D.

Bensdorp Clean demonstrates Barry Callebaut’s commitment to designing innovative products that enable its customers to deliver on consumer trends. The new powders are truly unique, both from a processing and labeling perspective. Bensdorp Clean Brown is characterized by subtle roasted and bitter notes for a mild cocoa flavor. Bensdorp Clean Red provides an intense cocoa flavor with robust roasted notes. Bensdorp Clean cocoa powders are ideal for bakery, ice cream, and beverage applications.

With annual sales of about CHF6.7 billion (€6.1 billion/US$6.8 billion) in fiscal year 2015/16, the Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Group runs more than 50 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of close to 10,000 people.