Barry Callebaut Opens New Chocolate Academy Center in Beijing
The Barry Callebaut Group announces the opening of its new office and its new Chocolate Academy center in Beijing, which will provide better assistance to Barry Callebaut’s local customers with onsite training and application support.
The company has continuously been growing its presence in the region, this being the second center opened in China and the 22nd one globally.
“Domestic chocolate production is increasing, and we have experienced double-digit growth in China over the last four years. Our confidence in the future development of the chocolate market in China, together with the desire to better serve our Chinese customers, have prompted the expansion of our footprint and distribution network across China over the next few years,” Ben De Schryver, president Barry Callebaut’s Asia Pacific, said.
Already back in 2008, Barry Callebaut opened a chocolate factory and a Chocolate Academy center in Suzhou, followed by a relocation of the offices and the Chocolate Academy center to Shanghai in 2010. The offices in Shanghai, which will continue to be the company’s head office in China, are currently being expanded. Barry Callebaut also chose Shanghai for the global launch of Ruby, the fourth type of chocolate, in 2017.
With the addition of the new Beijing office, Barry Callebaut China has increased its sales representatives in the Greater China region spanning Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Taipei and extended its distribution network across 21 key- and second-tier multi-million cities in China including Chongqing, Dalian, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningbo, Tianjin, Xiamen, and Wuhan.
Although the domestic chocolate industry witnessed a boost in sales volume recently, chocolate consumption per capita in China is still at 100 grams – with plenty of room to grow. According to analyst firm Nielsen, the chocolate confectionery category in China grew (in terms of volume growth) by 4.5% in the last twelve months.
“The China chocolate market is showing promising growth in 2019. Increasingly, local food manufacturers are introducing innovative products to refresh consumers’ perception such as products with new flavors. The rising incomes in China consumers boosted demand for higher quality and premium chocolate products such as ruby chocolate – which are gradually being introduced in the country. China has the largest e-commerce market in the world, and sales of our premium chocolate products on our online platform have tripled in the last 2 years,” George Zhang, managing director Barry Callebaut China, said.
The new office in Beijing also includes Barry Callebaut’s second Chocolate Academy center in China – the only country with two such centers. These centers are teaching and training facilities for artisans and professionals who want to improve their skills in chocolate and learn about new trends, techniques, and recipes. In the last 10 years, more than 3,500 craftsmen in China have attended these events in the center in Shanghai.
In Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut already operates nine chocolate and cocoa factories and employs more than 1,800 employees. In the last 12 months, the company has expanded its sales operations in Australia, Indonesia and also in the Philippines, in addition to its existing sales offices in India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its second chocolate factory in Indonesia is currently being built in Rancaekek (near Bandung).