Barry Callebaut has added a fourth chocolate production line to its Singapore facility with the aim of boosting the volume of chocolate for the Asia Pacific market. The addition will make a significant contribution to the total volume capacity of the factory, as the company vies to keep its competitive edge as the largest producer of chocolate and cocoa products in Asia Pacific.

“The continued expansion of this factory reaffirms Barry Callebaut’s commitment in Singapore for the long-term. We look forward to continuing working with the government, local institutions as well as our customers and partners to realize our role as the leading chocolate manufacturer in this country,” says Ben De Schryver, President of Barry Callebaut Asia Pacific.

The new line features state-of-the-art equipment that has the ability to produce chocolate blocks of different volumes, at a high-efficiency rate. Adding to its touted performance, the fourth line also boasts higher quality and safety standards, both of which are crucial elements of food production.

“We are very encouraged by the steady growth of Singapore’s food industry which would not have been possible without the country’s strong reputation in food safety and quality. This expansion in Singapore is also about paving the way for our business to be more efficient overall and bringing more innovations to the markets,” adds De Schryver.

The new production line in Senoko expands upon the existing 23-year-old factory that was instrumental in growing Barry Callebaut’s presence in the region. The fourth line’s successful installation was also made possible thanks to the continued collaboration between the local team and Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB), the local government agency that is responsible for spearheading the country’s industrialization program.

“We have a strong history of chocolate making in Singapore because of the strong support from the Singapore government, in particular the EDB. Their recent guidance to my team helped greatly in completing this expansion project, achieving success during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Harley Peres, Site Manager for the Senoko factory.

This milestone of the new fourth line comes hand in hand with other investments within the Asia Pacific Region. Recently, Barry Callebaut announced its decision to acquire GKC Foods, a producer of chocolate, coatings and fillings, serving consumer chocolate brands in Australia and New Zealand. This strategic acquisition strengthens Barry Callebaut’s direct presence and manufacturing capacity in Australia’s growing industrial chocolate market.

Last year, the company also broke ground on a new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility in Baramati, India, which is scheduled to be operational by mid-2020. The site is located 250 km south-east of Mumbai and is expected to have an annual production capacity of more than 30,000 tons of chocolate and compound, the company says.

Meanwhile, Barry Callebaut recently highlighted challenges related to sourcing and processing chocolate ingredients from Africa, while following the coronavirus precautionary measures introduced by the African government.