Lindt Plans $32.2M Expansion of Cocoa Mass Plant

Chocolate and confectionery manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli Schweiz AG plans to invest CHF 30 million, or about $32.2 million, in an expansion of the Lindt Cocoa Center in Olten, Switzerland, a production site for cocoa mass for the firm’s European chocolate plants.

Lindt’s expansion and modernization of the facility will take place over the coming year, a Jan. 30 company press release announced, noting the project strengthens the vertical integration of Swiss firm’s chocolate production capabilities from “bean to bar.”

“The production site in Olten is the largest plant in the entire production network for this first processing step, the refining of cocoa beans to cocoa mass. Thus, the expansion of the Lindt Cocoa Center represents a key project for Switzerland and safeguards the supply of cocoa mass for the production sites in Europe for the long term,” the release stated.

A new cocoa bean roasting line, loading bay, and research facility for testing beans, recipes, and processes will be added to the facility as part of the investment. The company said the plant’s proximity to rail lines, which transport cocoa beans from ports in the Netherlands, make the Olten site ideal.

“Today cocoa beans are delivered [in an] environmentally friendly [way] by more than 400 train wagons and stored in the plant’s characteristic silos for further processing,” Lindt said. “The cocoa mass is then delivered to the production companies in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and France. In all factories, local processing and refinement of the chocolate must meet rigorous Swiss standards.”

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