Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut will invest $100 million (€94.7 million) in an ongoing expansion project at its Chatham factory in Ontario, Canada, by the end of its financial year 2022/2023.
The project commenced in 2018 with an initial investment of $30 million (€28.4 million) for creating additional liquid storage capacity in the facility.
The additional investment of $70 million (€66.3 million) is being used to develop Chatham’s product portfolio and enhance manufacturing capabilities.
Long-Term Growth
These investments will allow Barry Callebaut to continue to drive long-term growth in the compound market in North America.
Balaji Padmanabhan, VP of operations and supply chain for the Americas, said, "This new capacity will satisfy growing demand from both food manufacturers and gourmet customers for our compound solutions in this dynamic consumer market."
The facility manufactures a range of products, such as liquid milk, dark compound and moulded products.
The investment focuses on both liquid and moulding lines, as well as enhanced capabilities for producing dairy-free compounds to meet growing customer demand for plant-based products.
The company will introduce white compound production in 2023.
The expansion of the Chatham factory has boosted economic growth in the area and created almost 100 direct jobs and 25 indirect hires.
'Another Milestone'
Steve Woolley, president and CEO of Americas at Barry Callebaut said, "This Chatham expansion marks another milestone for our region.
"Investing in our compound production, together with the new specialty chocolate factory in Brantford, allow us to lean into the wide variety of specialised experience in the region, and to establish a strategic foothold in our network as we accelerate our growth journey."
In April 2022, Barry Callebaut announced an investment of $104 million in a new specialty chocolate factory in Brantford, Canada.
The factory will focus on sugar-free chocolate, high protein, and other specialty products.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
