| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | SIX: BARN |
| Founded | Merger of Cacao Barry and Callebaut in 1996 |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Andreas Jacobs, Chairman |
| Products | Chocolate |
| Employees | 8,933 (2010) |
| Website | Barry-Callebaut.com |
Barry Callebaut is the world's largest chocolate manufacturer.[1] It was created in 1996 through the merging of the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French company Cacao Barry. It is currently based in Zurich, Switzerland, and operates in 26 countries worldwide. It was created in its present form by the German immigrant Klaus Johann Jacobs.
Its customers include multinational and national branded consumer goods manufacturers, artisanal users of chocolate (chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakeries, and caterers), and food retailers, for whom it makes private label as well as branded products.
In addition to manufacture, the company undertakes research into chocolate recipes: for example, in recent years it has launched tooth-friendly chocolate, probiotic chocolate, chocolate with a high level of antioxidants (sold under the brand name ACTICOA), and "rebalanced" chocolate, which has an improved nutritional profile.These improvements are based under Callebaut's innovation strategy. Health and Wellness, experience and indulgence, and convenience.
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Cacao Barry was founded by Charles Barry in France in 1842. The company's founder traveled to Africa to seek out a selection of cocoa beans that would enable him to create his first connoisseur’s chocolate. In 1923, Alexandre Lacarré took over the reins and carried out a number of ambitious projects for the company. In 1952, Cacao Barry became active from bean to gourmet chocolate. In 1963, the company created "Baking Sticks" and simultaneously the chocolate croissant (“pains au chocolat!”). In 1973, they launched the “Your demonstration partner” brand to introduce personalized assistance & support to professionals. In 1994, shortly before the merger of 1996, they launched the Pure Origine of Cacao Barry brand.
Callebaut was a Belgian company, founded by Eugenius Callebaut as a brewery in Wieze, Belgium, in 1850. The brewery began producing chocolate bars in 1911 and soon switched entirely to chocolate production. They began producing chocolate couverture in 1925.
One of Eugenius Callebaut's great-great-grandsons, Bernard Callebaut, opened his own chocolate company in Calgary, Alberta. This firm (called Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut) is not affiliated with Barry Callebaut.
In 1996 the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French chocolate company Cacao Barry joined forces, creating a new company called Barry Callebaut. By that time, both Cacao Barry and Callebaut were recognized in the food industry as reliable suppliers of high-quality products and as dependable business partners for thousands of wholesale and retail specialists in the chocolate industry. In 1998 Barry Callebaut was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
In 1999 the company acquired Swiss chocolate maker Carma AG. In 2002 the group bought Stollwerck in Germany. These acquisitions were followed in 2003 by the acquisition of Dutch-Belgian company Luijckx Chocoladen N.V., AM Foods amba (vending mixes) in Sweden in 2004, FPI Food Processing International in the U.S in 2007 and KL-Kepong Cocoa Products Sdn Bhd in Malaysia in 2008. Next to its acquisitions, Barry Callebaut recently opened chocolate factories in Russia, China, and Mexico.
Barry Callebaut is now present in 28 countries, operates about 40 production facilities, employs more than 7,000 people and has annual sales of more than CHF 4.8 billion (fiscal year 2007/08). The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. It also provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing.
Barry Callebaut offers a wide range of chocolates, fillings and decorations, compounds as well as other cocoa and/or nut-based products for the chocolate, ice cream, biscuit, dairy, and other food industries. Their standard range is packaged as blocks, easymelts, drops, pearls, sticks or in liquid form. The company also offers chocolate products to meet the special needs of artisan customers, including bakers, pastry chefs, hotels, restaurants and caterers and produces a small number of consumer products under the brands Sarotti, Jacques and Alprose.
In 2005, Barry Callebaut introduced a "healthy" chocolate product called ACTICOA, which contains higher levels of polyphenol antioxidants (cocoa flavanols) than any other chocolate; there is scientific evidence that these flavanols have particular health benefits.[2]
In various locations all over the world, Barry Callebaut has set up training centres for chocolate professionals who wish to improve their working skills in chocolate and learn about new trends, techniques and recipes. Chocolate academies are currently located in Wieze (Belgium), St. Hyacinthe (Canada), Meulan (France), Lodz (Poland), Singapore, Zürich (Switzerland), Banbury (United Kingdom), Suzhou (China), Zundert (the Netherlands), and recently Mumbai (India) and Chicago(USA).