ZURICH and BARAMATI, India, March 11, 2021 -- The Barry Callebaut Group, the worlds leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, announced the official opening of its new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility, located in Baramati, India.

Barry Callebauts new factory is located about 250 km south-east of Mumbai and represents its biggest investment in India to date. The new chocolate factory and warehouse include an R&D lab, and assembly lines capable of manufacturing chocolate and compound in different delivery formats, catering to the various needs of its customers -- international food manufacturers, local confectioneries and semi-industrial bakers and patisseries.

Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group, said: "The new factory in Baramati celebrates Indias rich chocolate heritage and marks a new milestone in Barry Callebauts history of direct investment in India. It underlines our commitment to the worlds second most populous country, a confectionery market with great potential. In line with our smart growth strategy, the new factory expands our local production footprint in the region."

once fully operational, the 20,000 square meter facility will employ between 100 to 120 people, thus creating new skilled jobs, mainly in engineering and production. The new plant also features a variety of energy and water-saving solutions in the areas of infrastructure, production equipment and the overall facility energy control system.

Finest "Make in India" chocolates

In addition to the new chocolate factory in Baramati, Barry Callebauts production network in India includes another chocolate factory in Pune (Maharashtra) and a specialties and decorations factory, also located in Baramati. Together with its existing CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ Center and sales office in Mumbai, the company is well positioned to expand its work with customers to co-create innovative chocolate for local consumers.

Over the last four years, Barry Callebaut has seen double-digit growth in India, along with an enthusiastic consumer response towards innovative chocolate such as Ruby chocolate. Demand for high-quality chocolate has been rising, which has prompted a concurrent increase in domestic chocolate production.

Dhruva Jyoti Sanyal, Managing Director for Barry Callebaut India, said: "The opening of our new flagship chocolate factory marks an important step forward in advancing our business across more regions of India. This new facility underpins our ability to deliver a broad portfolio of locally produced chocolate products that meet the increasingly diversified needs of consumers in Indias fast-growing chocolate and cocoa market."

The new factory in Baramati provides proximity to local customers. In addition to supplying industrial chocolate to food manufacturers and confectioneries, the factory in Baramati will also produce sustainable chocolate and compound products under the Van Houten Professional brand in the country. Barry Callebaut now offers a wide range of chocolate products in India. This includes specialties and decorations chocolates, which are also produced in Barry Callebauts existing factory in Baramati. These steps will help Barry Callebaut to achieve its ambition of manufacturing the finest "Make in India" chocolate.