Barry Callebaut

With annual sales of more than CHF 4 billion for fiscal year 2006/07, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finished product on the store shelf. Barry Callebaut is present in 25 countries, operates about 40 production facilities and employs approximately 7,500 people. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. It also provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing.

History

In 1996 the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French chocolate company Cacao Barry joined forces, creating a new company called Barry Callebaut. Both Cacao Barry and Callebaut were widely recognized in the food industry as reliable suppliers of high-quality products and as dependable business partners for thousands of wholesale and retail specialists in the chocolate industry. The merger combined Cacao Barry’s know-how in procurement and initial processing of cocoa beans with Callebaut’s extensive experience in producing and marketing chocolate products. After 1996, the company continued to grow through geographic expansion into strategic growth markets, outsourcing contracts, innovation and acquisitions. Since 1998 Barry Callebaut has been listed on the Swiss Exchange SWX.

1999 Acquisition of Carma AG in Switzerland 2002 Acquisition of the Stollwerck Group in Germany 2003 Acquisition of Dutch Group Graverboom B.V. (including Luijckx B.V.) 2003 Acquisition of Brach’s Confections Holding Inc. in the U.S. 2004 Acquisition of the vending mix business of AM Foods in Sweden 2004 Opening of a sales office in Tokyo, Japan 2005 Opening of a chocolate factory in California, U.S. 2007 Opening of a chocolate factory in Russia 2007 Construction of a chocolate factory in China 2007 Start of construction of a chocolate factory in Mexico 2007 Divestment of Brach’s sugar-candy business 2007 Major outsourcing contracts with Nestlé, Hershey’s and Cadbury 2007 Opening of a sales office and Chocolate Academy in Mumbai, India 2008 Opening of a chocolate factory in Suzhou/Shanghai, China

Today, Barry Callebaut is the world market leader in high-quality cocoa and chocolate products and the only fully integrated chocolate company with a global presence. The company has evolved from a supplier of industry and specialty chocolates for industrial and artisanal customers into a provider of integrated solutions, from the bean to the shelf, to the entire food industry. As the outsourcing partner of choice, Barry Callebaut has an estimated 50% share of sales volumes in the open market. Barry Callebaut offers close to 1,700 recipes to its customers, allowing it to cater to local taste preferences around the world.

Chocolate Academies

All over the world, Barry Callebaut set up training centres for chocolate professionals who wish to improve their working skills in chocolate and learn about new trends, techniques and recipes. Chocolate academies are located in Wieze (Belgium), St. Hyacinthe (Canada), Meulan (France), Lodz (Poland), Singapore, Zürich (Switzerland), Banbury (United Kingdom) and recently Suzhou/Shanghai (China) and Mumbai (India).