Barry Callebaut improves Japanese footprint
29 June 2012 – Barry Callebaut and Morinaga, one of Japan’s largest confectionery companies, have extended their long term strategic partnership signed early 2008. Both parties agreed on a new, ten year supply agreement for up to 16,000 tonnes of chocolate and compound products a year. For this, Morinaga and Barry Callebaut will also intensify their cooperation in the field of Research & Development (R&D) and jointly develop new products.
As part of the agreement, Barry Callebaut’s current factory in Amagasaki near Osaka, will stop operation in mid-2013. The company will relocate the operation and increase the production capacity in a newly built chocolate and compound factory in Takasaki, around 100km north of Tokyo, where Morinaga intends to expand its operation. Besides the production for Morinaga, Barry Callebaut will gradually increase sales volume for other customers in the Japanese market. The company will also further strengthen its sales organization in Japan in order to open up previously untapped market potential.
"The extension of the current strategic partnership with Morinaga is a great honor for us", says Juergen Steinemann, CEO of Barry Callebaut. "From the new location we can even better serve both Morinaga’s chocolate needs and increase our sales volume for third-party customers as we are getting closer to them. This will further strengthen our position in one of Asia’s most important chocolate market."
