Barry Callebaut to build chocolate facility in India

The Barry Callebaut Group is building a third manufacturing facility in India. The chocolate and compound factory will be located in the Ghiloth industrial area, in the city of Neemrana, about 120 km south-west of Delhi. Upon completion of the factory, India will become Barry Callebaut’s largest chocolate-producing market in the Asia–Pacific region.

Since the opening of its first Chocolate Academy Centre in Mumbai in 2007, Barry Callebaut has continuously invested in the Indian chocolate and cocoa market — it now operates two factories in Baramati. With this third facility, the company’s total investment in India is projected to exceed $77 million.

The new facility will cover a total of 20,000 m² and is scheduled to be operational in 2024. It will include assembly lines capable of manufacturing chocolate and compound in different delivery formats, catering to the various needs of its international food manufacturers, local confectioneries and semi-industrial bakers and patisseries. The facility will also house a warehouse and a research & development laboratory.

The expansion of the Group’s footprint in India is tied to the country’s rapidly developing demand for chocolate. India is one of the fastest growing markets for the chocolate confectionery industry. Sales volume of chocolate confectionery in India grew 26% in 2021 and at a compound annual growth rate of 10% between 2017–2021.