Barry Callebaut Picks Site for New Chocolate Processing Plant

Cocoa processor and chocolate maker Barry Callebaut announced a site was selected in Brantford, ON for a new $104 million chocolate processing plant. Focusing on the production of sugar-free, high protein, and specialty chocolate products, the plant will be the company’s first new operation in North America since 2008.

The facility will be located inside the Northwest Industrial Park in Brantford. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled on September 27.

“Consumers are searching for healthier and tasty solutions for the foods they love. ‘Free from’ foods like sugar-free or dairy-free are healthier options that also satisfy the indulgence they are craving,” Steve Woolley, President of the Region Americas of Barry Callebaut, said in an April 2022 release introducing the project. “Through the addition of a sugar-free facility, Barry Callebaut is positioning itself to be the leader in “Better for You” offerings for our customers, which include a wide range of low- and sugar-free solutions. 

When production commences in 2024, the facility will have an initial capacity of over 50,000 mt/yr of liquid and molded chocolate. Barry Callebaut said the project is its “biggest capital investment ever in a factory in North America.”

About 200 new jobs will be created through the opening of the Brantford site.

The chocolate maker has made several major investments in its global production footprint this year. This March, Powder & Bulk Solids reported that Barry Callebaut added new production linesto its plant in Campbellfield, Australia and the company opened a new chocolate manufacturing site in Baramati, India.