Barry Callebaut begins chocolate production at Indonesia facility

Barry Callebaut has opened a new chocolate manufacturing plant in Indonesia following an investment of CHF 2.8 million ($2.9 million).

The factory forms part of Barry Callebaut’s ‘plant-in-plant’ concept, in which the company integrates new production facilities at the premises of its customer’s factories, in this case Garudafood’s biscuit factory in Rancaekek, a sub-district of Bandung.

The announcement comes after both companies extended a supply partnership in November. They have since been collaborating on innovation activities and plan to develop new products that will cater to the growing Indonesian chocolate market.

“Our second chocolate factory in Indonesia underlines our commitment to this country,” said Ben De Schryver, president of Barry Callebaut Asia Pacific.

“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.”

Hardianto Atmadja, CEO of PT Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk, added: “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.”

In addition to the new factory in Rancaekek, Barry Callebaut has another chocolate plant in Gresik, near Surabaya, and two cocoa factories located in Bandung and Makassar. The chocolate manufacturer already operates nine other chocolate and cocoa facilities in Asia, located in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Last month, the company broke ground on a new chocolate and compound manufacturing facility in India, a project that represents the firm’s largest investment in the country to date.