Chocolate firm opens new factory in Suzhou

SWITZERLAND-BASED cocoa and chocolate maker Barry Callebaut moved its Asia Pacific headquarters to Suzhou from Singapore and made Shanghai its sales front on the Chinese mainland.

With an investment of up to US$20 million, Barry Callebaut inaugurated its first factory in China today.

The plant has an annual capacity of 25,000 tons. It is Barry Callebaut's 38th factory globally, said its chairman Andreas Jacobs.

The company expects to increase its sales in China six times in the next five years with the new plant. It reported US$3.5 billion in revenue in its last fiscal year, and will serve mainly industrial customers such as hotels and restaurants.