NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - Santiago, Chile, 2014/12/02 - The Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, today officially inaugurated its first chocolate factory in Chile - Barry-Callebaut.com. BARN

• New state-of-the-art chocolate factory will produce liquid chocolate and compound for food manufacturers and confectionery companies;
• Expansion strengthens Barry Callebaut’s position in Latin America and creates an additional foothold in the Andean region.

The state-of-the-art facility in Paine, located approximately 40 km from the capital city of Santiago de Chile, has an initial annual production capacity of around 25,000 tonnes of liquid chocolate and compound.

Paine was chosen as the site of the new factory due to its proximity to Santiago’s central economic district and geographic accessibility to existing and potential customers in Chile and adjacent countries. The factory will serve as a regional base for Barry Callebaut to tap into the rapidly-growing Chilean chocolate market while capturing new opportunities in the broader Andean region.

“The inauguration of our new factory in Chile further confirms our commitment to serving customers throughout Latin America,” said Juergen Steinemann, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group. “As the global popularity of chocolate continues to grow, our focus remains on expanding into emerging markets to better serve our customer being food manufacturers and confectionery companies. Chile is an attractive market for growth, as do neighboring countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru.”

Speaking at a press conference prior to the inauguration ceremony, Gerardo Elizondo, the Barry Callebaut Group’s General Manager for the Andean Region added,“There is a significant growth momentum of the Chilean chocolate market compared to other Latin American markets. The growth potential includes a fast-growing demand for high-quality chocolate, technical services and innovations. That’s where we can offer added-value to our customers.”

With a yearly chocolate consumption of 2.2 kg per capita, Chile is among the top markets in Latin America. Currently, the total annual volume of chocolate confectionery products consumed in the Chilean market sums up to 40,000 tonnes. The market is expected to grow by nearly 3.5% per annum in volume until 2019 (+7.0% in value) much higher than the long-term average annual volume growth rate of the global chocolate market of 2.0%.1

Since 2008, the Barry Callebaut Group has accelerated its expansion efforts in Latin America by opening seven factories in three countries. In addition to the new Chile factory, the company operates two cocoa factories and one chocolate factory in Brazil, as well as one cocoa factory and two chocolate factories in Mexico.

The new factory in Paine, Santiago de Chile, is Barry Callebaut’s first chocolate factory in the Andean Region. It will also serve as a regional sales and management headquarters.

1 Source: Euromonitor.

About Barry Callebaut Group
With annual sales of about CHF 5.9 billion (EUR 4.8 billion / USD 6.5 billion) in fiscal year 2013/14, the Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group (barry-callebaut.com) 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 over 9,300 people.

The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to

artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The two global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®.

The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to sustainable cocoa production through its “Cocoa Horizons” initiative to help ensure future supplies of cocoa as well as improve farmer livelihoods.

Contacts:
Maria Luisa Claro - Director
Agencia Cuatro
P: +56 2 2415 8985 - E: mclaro[.]agenciacuatro.com.

Nikki Lopez - Account Supervisor
Porter Novelli
P: +1 312-552-6315 - E: nikki.lopez[.]porternovelli.com

Investors and financial analysts:
Evelyn Nassar - Head of Investor Relations
Barry Callebaut AG
P: +41 43 204 04 23 - E: evelyn_nassar[.]barry-callebaut.com.

Agency / Source: Barry Callebaut AG

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