The Barry Callebaut Group has announced the official opening of its new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility, located in Baramati, India.

Once fully operational, the 20,000 square meter facility will employ between 100 to 120 people, thus creating new skilled jobs, mainly in engineering and production. The new plant also features a variety of energy and water-saving solutions in the areas of infrastructure, production equipment and the overall facility energy control system.

In addition to the new chocolate factory in Baramati, Barry Callebaut’s production network in India includes another chocolate factory in Pune (Maharashtra) and a specialties and decorations factory, also located in Baramati. Together with its existing CHOCOLATE ACADEMY Center and sales office in Mumbai, the company is well positioned to expand its work with customers to co-create innovative chocolate for local consumers.

Over the last four years, Barry Callebaut has seen double-digit growth in India, along with an enthusiastic consumer response towards innovative chocolate such as Ruby chocolate. Demand for high-quality chocolate has been rising, which has prompted a concurrent increase in domestic chocolate production. 

Dhruva Jyoti Sanyal, managing director for Barry Callebaut India, said: 

"The opening of our new flagship chocolate factory marks an important step forward in advancing our business across more regions of India. This new facility underpins our ability to deliver a broad portfolio of locally produced chocolate products that meet the increasingly diversified needs of consumers in India’s fast-growing chocolate and cocoa market."

The new factory in Baramati provides proximity to local customers. In addition to supplying industrial chocolate to food manufacturers and confectioneries, the factory in Baramati will also produce sustainable chocolate and compound products under the Van Houten Professional brand in the country. Barry Callebaut now offers a wide range of chocolate products in India. This includes specialties and decorations chocolates, which are also produced in Barry Callebaut’s existing factory in Baramati. These steps will help Barry Callebaut to achieve its ambition of manufacturing the finest “Make in India” chocolate.