The Barry Callebaut Group has broken ground for its new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility in Baramati, India.  
 
The new chocolate factory and warehouse, located 250 kilometers southeast of Mumbai, will include state-of-the-art assembly lines capable of manufacturing chocolate and compound in different delivery formats, catering to the various needs of its customers. The new facility will cover a total of 20,000 square meters and is scheduled to be operational by mid-2020. 

Once fully operational, the facility will have an annual production capacity of more than 30,000 tons of chocolate and compound, and will employ between 100 and 120 people. The factory will also be equipped with an R&D lab. 

This facility represents Barry Callebaut’s biggest investment in India. This expansion of the company’s footprint in India is tied to the country’s rapidly developing demand for high-quality chocolate.

“As a global leader in the chocolate industry, we are excited about India’s great growth potential,” said Ben De Schryver, president of Barry Callebaut in Asia Pacific. “The new factory will be one of our biggest locations in Asia, and it will enable us to meet customers’ growing demands for high-quality chocolate in India. We are proud to deepen our presence here and to continue to invest in a country that has been so welcoming to us for more than a decade. Our expansion will support our business volume growth and ambition to become the leading industrial chocolate manufacturer in India.” 
 
India is one of the fastest growing markets for the chocolate confectionery industry. Sales volume of chocolate confectionery in India grew by 16 percent in 2018, according to Nielsen. The chocolate confectionery market in India is expected to show strong growth in the next five years, according to Euromonitor. 
                                                     
“India is an exciting market where innovation in chocolate is well received by consumers,” said Dhruva Jyoti Sanyal, managing director for Barry Callebaut India. “As an innovation leader, we are proud to bring our innovative capabilities into a market where domestic chocolate production is increasing. We have experienced double-digit growth in India over the last three years. Our confidence in the future development of the chocolate market in India, together with the desire to better serve our customers in India, has prompted the expansion of our footprint and services.” 
 
Barry Callebaut has built its presence in India by serving food manufacturers, as well as by establishing a strong network of nationwide distribution and committed channel partners over the years. In recent months, Barry Callebaut has partnered with local chocolate manufacturers to introduce Ruby chocolate and also launched Van Houten Professional chocolate in the country. 
 
Barry Callebaut is one of the largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturers in Asia Pacific. Employing more than 1,800 employees in the region, the company already operates nine other chocolate and cocoa factories in Asia, namely in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. 

In the last 12 months, Barry Callebaut has also expanded its sales operations in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines, in addition to its existing sales offices in India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Its second chocolate factory in Indonesia is currently being built in Rancaekek.