The Barry Callebaut Group opened the door to its new, relocated Callebaut Chocolate Academy center and sales office in Mumbai, India. The center and sales office is a relocation from its previous home which opened in 2008.

The center serves as a venue for the exchange of technical skills, training, dialogue and the sharing of love for all aspects related to chocolate and cocoa products. It is one of 19 training centers managed by the company's gourmet division, around the world, and one of four in the Asia Pacific, with other centers being located in Singapore, Shanghai (China) and Tokyo (Japan).

As the most important partner for kitchen and pastry chefs, chocolatiers, bakers and caterers, Callebaut, the Belgian chocolate brand of Barry Callebaut, represented one of the largest supporters of chocolate artisan.

“Callebaut is proud to have been a part of the chef’s community for over 10 years and we owe our customers in India for helping us build our business. We want to provide locals and visitors with the best chocolate making experience we can and we look forward to serving them even better in this state-of-the-art Chocolate Academy center and sales office,” said Dhruv Bhatia, Barry Callebaut’s Managing Director, India. “Barry Callebaut’s opening of our chocolate factory in Pune last year and now with the upgrading of the Callebaut Chocolate Academy center in Mumbai, will enable us to be in a better position to capitalize on growth opportunities in India.”

The new center is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and is led by professionals who have had the benefit of imbibing Barry Callebaut’s extensive global gourmet product experience. The center’s offerings include a wide range of workshops, courses and demonstrations for professional customers in all sectors: chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers and other chocolate experts as well as culinary professionals working in hotels, restaurants and the catering business. They will be able to benefit from the modern kitchen and the equipment that the academy is equipped with, to perfect their expertise in chocolate under the guidance of Callebaut’s specially-trained and renowned chefs and the elite Chocolate Ambassadors Club.

According to market research firm Euromonitor, India is one the fastest growing confectionery markets globally (CAGR of 12% over 2015-2020). The average unit price in India grew by 8% in 2015 and premiumization is expected to fuel chocolate sales further in India.

“With significantly greater exposure to international brands and product premiumization, we believe there will be increasing demand for our gourmet products in India and across Asia Pacific,” said Mikael Neglen, President, Chocolate Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut, at the official opening ceremony of the new Callebaut Chocolate Academy center in Mumbai. “The investment we’ve made into this new Callebaut Chocolate Academy center reaffirms our commitment to the professional chocolatiers in this region.”

Denis Convert, Vice President of Gourmet Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut, said, “The opening of the new Callebaut Chocolate Academy center in India is a symbolic move in promoting our position as a leader in the gourmet chocolate sector in the region. We have improved this training center to cater to the sophisticated needs of our customers here in India. Our Chocolate Academy center around the world serves to demonstrate how much creativity, innovation and invention is still possible within the chocolate craft. Here is where budding chefs can learn more from the experts, and where experienced chefs can experiment with new creations using Callebaut’s wide inventory of high quality gourmet chocolate and cocoa products.”

The Callebaut® Chocolate Academy center in Mumbai will be integrated into the network of the company’s 18 other such training centers all around the world. About 38,000 professionals and artisans receive training at these Chocolate Academy centers every year. For more information about the Chocolate Academy centers please visit: www.chocolate-academy.com.