Cargill is expanding its cocoa and chocolate business in Europe through the acquisition of the business of Schwartauer Werke GmbH & Co. KG Kakao Verarbeitung Berlin, ("KVB"), an integrated chocolate company based in Germany.

KVB has two production plants, both in Berlin, Germany. The two plants have a capacity of over 75,000 tonnes of chocolate per year and employ around 180 people. Upon completion of the deal, after clearance from the regulatory authorities, KVB and its employees will become part of Cargill's global network of cocoa and chocolate businesses, and benefit from the greater scale of the integrated operation.

"This acquisition marks a significant step in Cargill's chocolate growth strategy in Europe and our ability to better serve our existing and future customers" commented Jos de Loor, head of Cargill's cocoa and chocolate business. "The acquisition will strengthen Cargill's position in Germany, the largest chocolate market in Europe, and create opportunities to expand our chocolate business into new markets."

KVB's two Berlin plants will complement Cargill's existing German cocoa and chocolate facilities in Klein Schierstedt and Hamburg. Once integrated into Cargill, the business and its customers will fully benefit from Cargill's deep knowledge in cocoa and chocolate and its broad expertise in food ingredients and technologies.