Fire destroys 15,000 tonnes of Callebaut cocoa

A fire has destroyed a cocoa warehouse in Ivory Coast’s main city of Abidjan, burning up to 15,000 tonnes of cocoa beans and products, according to officials.

No one is reported to be injured in the blaze belonging to the local subsidiary of Swiss chocolate producer Barry Callebaut.

“The fire has completely destroyed the main warehouse, where the stock of beans and butter of the company were kept,” says a senior firefighting official on the scene.

Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa grower, has been looking to boost its grinding capacity in the past few years. The industry is hoping to capitalise on a recovery of global demand for cocoa products as the world moves out of recession.