Barry Callebaut
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| Company type | Public (Template:Swiss Exchange) |
|---|---|
| ISIN | CH0009002962  |
| Founded | Merger of Cacao Barry and Callebaut in 1996 |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Chocolate |
| Revenue | 8,470,500,000 Swiss franc (2023) |
| 659,400,000 Swiss franc (2023) | |
| 443,100,000 Swiss franc (2023) | |
Number of employees | 7500 (2006) |
| Website | Barry-Callebaut.com |
Barry Callebaut is a multi-national chocolate manufacturing company. The majority of its activities is in business-to-business sales to other food manufacturers, although they also sell some consumer products. Barry Callebaut was created in merger of the Belgian company Callebaut and the French company Cacao Barry. It is now based in Zürich, Switzerland, and operates in 25 countries worldwide. The company prides itself in being the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finished product on the store shelf.
History
Cacao Barry
Cacao Barry was founded by Charles Barry in France in 1842. A short history of
- 1842, starting in business with tea and coffee, Charles Barry, a true innovator with a passion for chocolate, travelled to Africa to seek out a selection of cocoa beans that would enable him to create his very first connoisseur’s chocolate.
- 1923 : Alexandre Lacarré carries out the ambitious projects of the company.
- 1952 : Cacao Barry is active from bean to gourmet chocolate.
- 1963 : Creation of the Baking Sticks and simultaneously the so famous “pains au chocolat!”
- 1973 : “Your demonstration partner” first brand to introduce personalized assistance & support to professionals.
- 1994 : Creation of the Pure Origine of Cacao Barry.
Callebaut
Callebaut was a Belgian company, founded by Eugenius Callebaut as a brewery in Wieze, Belgium, in 1850. The brewery began producing chocolate bars in 1911 and soon switched entirely to chocolate production. They started creating chocolate couverture in 1925.
Bernard Callebaut
One of Eugenius Callebaut's great-great-grandsons, Bernard Callebaut, opened his own chocolate company in Calgary, Alberta. This firm (called Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut) is not affiliated with Barry Callebaut.
Merger & IPO
In 1996 the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French chocolate company Cacao Barry joined forces, creating a new company called Barry Callebaut. By that time, both Cacao Barry and Callebaut were 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.
In 1998 Barry Callebaut was listed on the Swiss Exchange SWX. As of June 2002, the CEO of Barry Callebaut company is the Belgian Patrick De Maeseneire. In 2007, the company has 35 factories located in 17 countries, producing an annual 530,000 tons of chocolate, out of which 220,000 tons is produced in the Belgian Wieze factory. The company has 9500 employees worldwide.
Acquisitions since original merger
In 1999 the company acquired Swiss chocolate maker Carma AG. In 2002, the combined firm bought the famed U.S. confectioner Brach's. In 2002 the group bought Stollwerck in Germany. This made them the second-largest chocolate producer in the world.
These acquisitions were followed in 2003 by the acquisition of Dutch-Belgian company Luijckx Chocoladen N.V., AM Foods amba (Vending mixes) in Sweden in 2004, and FPI Food Processing International in the U.S in 2007. Next to its acquisitions, Barry Callebaut recently opened chocolate factories in Russia and in China.
Barry Callebaut is now present in 25 countries, operates about 40 production facilities, employs approximately 7,500 people and has annual sales of more than CHF 4 billion fiscal year 2006/07. 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.
Full list
- 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
Chocolate Academies
In various locations all over the world, Barry Callebaut has 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 currently located in Wieze (Belgium), St. Hyacinthe (Canada), Meulan (France), Lodz (Poland), Singapore, Zürich (Switzerland), Banbury (United Kingdom), Suzhou (China), and recently Mumbai (India) and Chicago(USA).
References
External links
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