Production begins at Barry Callebaut’s second plant in Indonesia
Chocolate and cocoa producer, The Barry Callebaut Group, has begun production at its second chocolate manufacturing plant in Rancaekek, a sub-district of Bandung, Indonesia.
Barry Callebaut’s newest factory in Asia is the result of a long-term supply agreement for chocolate and compounds to Garudafood, a large food and beverage company in Indonesia.
The new factory follows Barry Callebaut’s “plant in plant” concept, where the group integrates new production facilities on the premises of its customer’s factories, in this case Garudafood’s Rancaekek biscuit factory.
This latest venture constitutes an investment of CHF 2.8 million (€2.56m). It is the group’s second plant in the country in three years, with the first chocolate factory opened in October 2016, located in Gresik, 800km east of Jakarta.
“Our second chocolate factory in Indonesia underlines our commitment to this country. Barry Callebaut will continue to invest in the development of our manufacturing capabilities and continue to offer new products with our customers such as Garudafood. We are excited by our long-standing relationship with Garudafood and the potential of the confectionery market in Indonesia,” said Ben De Schryver, president of Barry Callebaut Asia Pacific
Both Barry Callebaut and Garudafood have been collaborating on innovation activities and plan to develop new products that will cater to the growing Indonesian chocolate market. According to Euromonitor, the annual chocolate consumption per capita in Indonesia is just around 300g, but demand for chocolate has been on the rise, as sales volume of chocolate confectionery grew +3.4% in 2018 (+1.4% CAGR 2013-2018).
In addition to the new chocolate factory in Rancaekek, Barry Callebaut has another chocolate factory in Gresik, and two cocoa factories located in Bandung and Makassar. The company currently has more than 550 employees across Indonesia. It is also committed to expanding its sustainability activities for cocoa farmers in Indonesia through its Forever Chocolate program.
“Our collaboration with Barry Callebaut, which started in 2015, is one of Garudafood’s open innovation strategy in support of Industry 4.0. Barry Callebaut’s broad activities in Indonesia contribute to the economy of this country and further support Garudafood’s achievement in producing a variety of innovative products – especially value-added chocolate products for consumers in Indonesia and abroad,” said Hardianto Atmadja, CEO of PT Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk.
