Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate Invests in New Coatings and Fillings Plant

The new plant, built on the site of the company’s previous coatings factory, is the result of a €16 million investment. The new facility doubles Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate’s coatings capacity at Deventer (The Netherlands) and greatly expands its fillings capability.

01/06/09 Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate has officially opened a new plant dedicated to production of chocolate coatings and fillings in Deventer in the Netherlands.

The new plant, built on the site of the company’s previous coatings factory, is the result of a €16 million investment. The new facility doubles Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate’s coatings capacity at Deventer and greatly expands its fillings capability. 
 
For many years, Cargill has produced a number of classic and specialty coatings and fillings in Deventer for use by the bakery, biscuit, cereal, ice cream and confectionery industries. This investment now enables Cargill to produce fillings for the chocolate industry as well. 

The level of expertise available at the Dutch site, together with the wide range of ingredients offered and technology that caters for both large production runs and small pilot trials, provides Cargill’s customers with flexibility in creating, testing and producing customized products. This makes Deventer a completely integrated production facility and “a true center of expertise” according to Christiaan Stumphius, commercial director for coatings and fillings at Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business.
 
Speaking at an employee event to mark the opening, Stumphius said: “Our combination of expertise and flexibility has created a special customer experience. We are proud to have highly talented people with a real passion for their work as well as the products and the flexible production capabilities to provide our customers with exactly what they want, when they want it.” 
 
The Deventer team is connected to Cargill’s unique knowledge network in food ingredients like cocoa, texturizers, flavors, sweeteners and oils and fats. In close co-operation with Cargill’s application centers, the team works with customers at every stage –– from product conception to final production – relishing the challenge to create products that excite customers and delight their end consumers.
 
With over 65 years’ experience, Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business can provide the right solutions for a variety of food applications. The plant at Deventer is ideally situated in the Netherlands, within reach of major customers and with strong connections to Cargill’s other chocolate facilities.
 
The new plant will enable a wider and more innovative range of products to be produced. Examples include: reduced fat solutions and low calorie chocolate products; customized creations including a bright green filling with the taste of tart, zesty limes; an organic white filling with the delicate taste of yoghurt; a filling looking and tasting like whisky; and a soft pink filling with the smell and taste of roses.
 
Jos de Loor, managing director of Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business explains: “In Deventer, we now use over 200 ingredients, many of which can be sourced within the Cargill network – including 30 different fats and oils. Our ability to tap into the ingredients expertise of Cargill’s cocoa, texturizing, flavors, fats and sweeteners businesses allows us to create fully customized, value-added fillings and coatings to meet customers’ individual needs.
 
“Our investment here underlines our long-term commitment to the chocolate industry and our intention to grow our cocoa and chocolate operations”, said de Loor.
 
Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business offers the food industry a wide range of both standard and customized cocoa and chocolate ingredients for use in delicious bakery, confectionery and dairy applications all over the world. The company’s product range includes high quality Gerkens cocoa powders, chocolate, coatings, fillings, cocoa liquors and cocoa butters. With years of experience in technical food expertise Cargill supports its customers in new recipes and new product development.
 
Cargill’s processing plants in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are in full compliance with the highest food safety standards.
 
To secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans, Cargill has its own cocoa bean sourcing operations for buying, handling and exporting of cocoa beans in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Vietnam.