Barry Callebaut invests 375 million euros in Flemish chocolate factories
Chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut is investing 250 million euros in its factory in Wieze and a further 125 million euros in its site in Halle, it announced on Thursday. The investments are intended to prepare both sites for the future.
Barry Callebaut's investments in Wieze include major infrastructure upgrades. Production lines will be modernised to further improve food safety and quality. A ring road will also be built, which will allow one-way traffic on the site, improving safety while limiting the impact on the surrounding area.
"These master plan initiatives will not only strengthen our operational capabilities in Wieze, but also ensure a more modern, safer and more attractive working environment," said factory director Filip Hermans. "With this investment, we are making our factory in Wieze future-proof."
Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele said the announcement underlines that Flanders remains an attractive region for investment. "We can certainly draw confidence from this. The chocolate factory in Wieze is not only the largest in the world, but also delivers top-quality products. And you become the best by investing in innovation," he said.
Largest in the world
The Wieze factory is the largest chocolate factory in the world, producing around 350,000 tonnes of chocolate each year. It operates almost continuously, with three eight-hour shifts on weekdays and two 12-hour shifts at weekends. The site closes only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Wieze facility produces exclusively business-to-business products.
Barry Callebaut operates 62 factories worldwide. Belgium accounts for around a quarter of the company’s global production, and one in four chocolate products worldwide contains chocolate from Barry Callebaut. The group employs about 1,650 people in Belgium.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER / BELGA VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS
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