Barry Callebaut confirms $10 million investment in new Ecuador cocoa processing base
pic: Barry Callebaut
Swiss-headquartered Barry Callebaut has delivered its first cocoa bean buying, cleaning, drying and export facility in Ecuador, located in Duran, near the port of Guayaquil, amid continued growth in the region’s market, reports Neill Barston.
As the company noted, the $10 million development offers direct access to the Pacific Ocean, and underlines its commitment to the segment within the country, with the new site set to serve as a key export hub and facility for its employees in the nation.
Ecuador has reportedly been climbing the ranks of cocoa producing countries and with an annual production of around 375,000 tonnes it is currently the third largest cocoa producer in the world, behind Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
The expansion of the Group’s global footprint to Ecuador fits into Barry Callebaut’s strategy to continuously build its integrated supply chain. The new facility offers customers direct access to a wide variety of cocoa origins to provide the right mix of unique cocoa and chocolate recipes to better serve their needs.
“The opening of Taycan highlights the strategic importance of Ecuador as a cocoa producer and our commitment to having a strong presence and a state-of-the-art facility to better serve the needs of our customers. We are pleased to offer our Barry Callebaut colleagues a new home in Ecuador and welcome the opportunity to contribute to Ecuador’s continued success in growing its sustainable cocoa production,” explained Steven Retzlaff, President Global Cocoa at Barry Callebaut.
Angela Gubser, who had served until recently as managing director at for Barry Callebaut in Ecuador, also welcomed the investment. She said: ” Taycan is a commitment which goes beyond the buying, cleaning, drying and exporting of cocoa beans. It represents further investment by Barry Callebaut in research and the sustainability of the cocoa sector, to the benefit of all stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain.”
