Barry Callebaut invests $295M in Wieze, Belgium facility
The chocolatier will also invest approx. $148M in its Halle factory.
Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa solutions, today announced detailed plans for significant multi-year investments to its factory in Wieze, Belgium, reportedly the biggest chocolate factory in the world. The investments will be allocated to future-proofing the production facility, underlining its importance in delivering best-in-class customer experience and further strengthening operational excellence, the company says.
In addition to investments in Wieze, the factory in Halle, Belgium will receive investments of €125 million ($147.7M USD), underscoring the importance of Belgium to the Barry Callebaut Group. A part of these investments falls under the BC Next Level program already announced, while other parts are regular investments in the factories.
"Wieze is and always will be the cradle of Barry Callebaut. It is the place where our iconic Callebaut brand was born in 1911. With quality at the heart of its success, Callebaut is exported to customers around the world. With these major investments in our Belgian production facilities in Wieze and Halle, we now continue our journey, demonstrating our commitment to our customers and our employees," says Wim Debedts, managing director, Benelux & Nordics.
The Masterplan for Wieze includes significant infrastructure upgrades aimed at enhancing both safety and operational efficiency for best value and best service. Plans include modernization of state-of-the-art production lines to further elevate food safety and quality and create a safer work environment for employees, and the construction of a ring road to enable one-way traffic on site to significantly improve safety and the impact on the environment, the company says.
"These Masterplan initiatives will not only improve our operational capabilities in Wieze, but also create a more modern, safer, and attractive working environment for our dedicated employees. Through this investment, we future proof our Wieze factory so we can continue to deliver our customers with the best service, value, and quality," concludes Filip Hermans, plant manager, Wieze.
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