Barry Callebaut facts for kids

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Barry Callebaut AG

Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Traded as	SIX: BARN
Founded	Merger of Cacao Barry and Callebaut in 1996; 29 years ago (1996)
Headquarters	Zürich, Switzerland
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Patrick De Maeseneire, Chairman Peter Feld, CEO
Products	Cocoa and Chocolate
Revenue	10,386,300,000 Swiss franc (2023/2024)
Operating income	704,400,000 Swiss franc (2023/2024)
Net income	417,500,000 Swiss franc (2023/2024)
Number of employees	13,423 (2023/2024)

Barry Callebaut AG is a big company from Switzerland and Belgium. It makes and sells cocoa and chocolate products. Think of them as experts in turning cocoa beans into delicious chocolate!

This company was formed in 1996. It happened when two chocolate companies, Cacao Barry from France and Callebaut from Belgium, joined together. Today, Barry Callebaut is based in Zürich, Switzerland. A person named Klaus Johann Jacobs helped create the company as we know it now.

Barry Callebaut has many factories around the world. In 2019, they had 61 production sites. These factories are located in Europe, Africa, America, and Asia. Their customers are other big food companies that make chocolate bars and sweets. They also sell to chefs, bakers, and caterers who use chocolate in their creations.

History of Barry Callebaut
See also

History of Barry Callebaut

The Story of Cacao Barry

Cacao Barry was started in 1842 in France by Charles Barry. He was an Englishman who loved exploring Africa. During his travels, he discovered cocoa beans. These beans are the main ingredient for making chocolate. The company began making chocolate products in 1911.

By 1952, Cacao Barry was involved in every step of making chocolate. They worked from the cocoa bean all the way to fancy gourmet chocolate. In 1994, just before the big merger, they launched a special brand called Pure Origine of Cacao Barry.

The Story of Callebaut

Callebaut was a Belgian company. It was founded in 1850 by Eugenius Callebaut. At first, it was a brewery, making drinks. But in 1911, they started making chocolate bars. Soon after, they focused only on making chocolate.

In 1925, Callebaut began making chocolate couverture. This is a special type of high-quality chocolate used by professional chefs. In the 1950s, Callebaut started selling its chocolate to other countries. Belgian chocolate was known for being very good, which helped them grow. In 1983, Klaus Jacobs took over the company.

How Barry Callebaut Was Formed

The French company Cacao Barry and the Belgian company Callebaut joined together in 1996. This created the company we know today as Barry Callebaut. Two years later, in 1998, Barry Callebaut became a public company. This means its shares could be bought and sold on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

After the merger, the company kept growing. They added new brands like Bensdorp, which makes cocoa powder. They also launched new lines of products for industrial use. These included cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and chocolate liquor.

In the years that followed, Barry Callebaut bought many other companies around the world.

In 1999, they bought Van Leer Chocolate in the US.
In 2000, they acquired Carma-Pfister AG in Switzerland.
That same year, they entered the South American market by buying Chadler Industrial de Bahia in Brazil.
In 2002, Barry Callebaut bought the German company Stollwerck. This added 17 new brands to their collection, including Sarotti.
In 2003, they bought Brach's.
In 2004, they acquired AM Foods K/S, a Danish company specializing in croissants and chocolate.
In 2007, they made a deal with Nestlé to buy some of their chocolate factories. They also agreed to supply Nestlé with chocolate products.
Later in 2007, they acquired FPI-Food Processing International in the United States and KL Kepong Cocoa Products Sdn Bhd in Malaysia.
In 2009, Barry Callebaut bought the Spanish chocolate maker Chocovic S.A.

These many purchases helped Barry Callebaut become a truly global company. In 2011, they sold the Stollwerck division to the Belgian Baronie Group. In 2017, Barry Callebaut acquired D’Orsogna Dolciaria. This Italian company makes amaretto biscuits and other sweet decorations.

Ruby Chocolate: A New Color

Chocolates made by Barry Callebaut

In September 2017, Barry Callebaut introduced a brand new type of chocolate called Ruby. It's special because it has a natural reddish-pink color! This pink color comes from special Ruby cocoa beans. These beans grow in places with specific weather, like Ecuador, Brazil, and the Ivory Coast. Barry Callebaut processes these unique beans.

In January 2018, Nestlé Japan Ltd. was the first big brand to use Ruby chocolate. They launched a Ruby Sublime Kit Kat in Japan. This pink chocolate Kit Kat was also launched in the UK in April of the same year.

Company Leadership

From October 2015 to September 2021, Antoine de Saint-Affrique was the CEO of Barry Callebaut. After him, Peter Boone took over. In April 2023, Peter Feld became the new CEO.

Company Growth and New Locations

Barry Callebaut has grown a lot over the years by buying other companies and opening new facilities. Here are some key moments:

1998: Acquired the brand name "Van Houten" from the Netherlands.
1999: Acquired Carma AG in Switzerland.
2002: Acquired the Stollwerck Group in Germany.
2003: Acquired Dutch Group Graverboom B.V.
2003: Acquired Brach's Confections Holding Inc. in the USA.
2004: Acquired ASM Foods' vending mix business in Sweden.
2004: Opened a sales office in Tokyo, Japan.
2005: Opened a chocolate factory in California, U.S.
2007: Opened a chocolate factory in Chekhov, Russia.
2007: Sold the Brach's confectionery business.
2007: Signed big agreements with Nestlé, Hershey's, and Cadbury.
2007: Acquired a cocoa factory in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, U.S.
2008: Opened a chocolate factory in Suzhou, China.
2008: Signed an agreement to acquire chocolate production from Morinaga & Company, Japan.
2008: Opened Chocolate Academies in China, Netherlands, India, Russia, and the U.S.
2008: Acquired a 60% share in KL-Kepong Cocoa Products Sdn Bhd in Malaysia.
2008: Started a partnership with Biolands of Tanzania.
2008: Sold their African consumer business.
2008: Opened a factory for frozen pastry in Alicante, Spain.
2009: Opened a chocolate factory in Monterrey, Mexico.
2009: Sold Van Houten Singapore consumer business to Hershey's.
2009: Acquired Danish vending mix company Eurogran.
2009: Acquired Spanish chocolate maker Chocovic, S.A.
2010: Opened a chocolate factory in Extrema, Brazil.
2010: Signed a long-term partnership with Kraft Foods Inc.
2011: Acquired the remaining 40% of Barry Callebaut Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
2011: Expanded their agreement with Hershey.
2011: Signed an agreement with Chocolates Turín, Mexico.
2011: Sold Stollwerck to Baronie Group (Belgium).
2011: Formed a joint venture with P.T. Comextra Majora in Indonesia.
2012: Acquired la Morella nuts in Spain.
2012: Acquired Mona Lisa Food Products, Inc. in the U.S.
2012: Launched "Cocoa Horizons" to support sustainable cocoa farming.
2012: Purchased Chatham facility from Batory Industries Company in Ontario, Canada.
2012: Signed agreements with Unilever, Grupo Bimbo (Mexico), and Morinaga (Japan).
2013: Opened a chocolate factory in Eskişehir, Turkey.
2013: Acquired Singapore-based Delfi Cocoa from Delfi Limited.
2015: Purchased production facilities from World's Finest Chocolate.
2019: Acquired a production facility from Burton's Biscuit.
2021: Opened the largest chocolate distribution center in Lokeren, Belgium.
2021: Opened a chocolate factory in Novi Sad, Serbia.
2022: Closed the Burton's Biscuit factory acquired in 2019.
2022: Announced building a factory for sugar-free products in Ontario, Canada.
2022: Took over a production facility from Attelli in Casablanca, Morocco.
2022: Opened a chocolate factory in Duran, Ecuador.

Innovations in Chocolate

In 2005, Barry Callebaut introduced a "healthy" chocolate product called ACTICOA. This chocolate has more special plant compounds called polyphenol antioxidants (cocoa flavanols). Some studies suggest these flavanols can be good for your health.

At the end of 2022, the company announced a "second generation of chocolate." They say this chocolate has 50 percent less sugar than most other chocolates. Also, their dark chocolate uses only two ingredients, and their milk chocolate uses only three.

Barry Callebaut operates the largest chocolate factory in the world in Wieze, Belgium. About 350,000 tons of chocolate are made there every year!

Who Owns Barry Callebaut?

As of May 2024, a company called Jacobs Holding AG, based in Zurich, owned 30.1% of Barry Callebaut. Renata Jacobs owned 5%, BlackRock owned 3.1%, and UBS Fund Management owned 6.5%.