Barry Callebaut inaugurates first Cocoa Application Center in the Asia-Pacific

LEADING high-quality chocolate and cocoa products manufacturer Barry Callebaut Group has recently announced the opening of its first Cocoa Application Center in the Asia-Pacific.

The new facility, which is located in Pasir Gudang in the state of Johor, Malaysia, will further strengthen innovation in the region and will develop individual product solutions together with customers in response to changing consumer tastes. Backed by US$200,000 in investments, it is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, a demo kitchen, a small-scale production line, and additional workspace areas.

As an extension of Barry Callebaut’s offering to industrial customers, the new Cocoa Application Center will handle prototype and concept development, product and process troubleshooting, and sensory evaluation. It will also pursue cocoa product and ingredient research and offer technical assistance and training for cocoa products.

The facility’s strategic location and close proximity to one of Barry Callebaut’s largest cocoa factories in the Asia Pacific, which has quick access to cocoa ingredients such as liquor, butter, powder, and the availability of sensory experts at the factory will enable frequent testing and tasting necessary for the development of new products, applications, and processes. Initially, the center will focus on beverage, bakery, confectionery, and ice cream applications. It will also explore the potential offered by cocoa ingredients in these products toward building capabilities in color, flavor matching, and enhancement.

As part of Barry Callebaut’s global R&D and innovation capabilities, the facility can draw upon the expertise and resources of the group’s 18 Chocolate Academy centers, 12 Application Centers, and 19 Pilot Plants.  In the Asia Pacific alone, Barry Callebaut has a total of four Application Centers and nine chocolate and cocoa factories. The company has a Cocoa Research Center in Selborne Estate in the state of Pahang that conducts research on intercropping, pest and disease management, and soil management to promote increased productivity and biodiversity at cocoa farm level.

According to Peter Boone, Chief Innovation & Quality officer of the Barry Callebaut Group, consumer tastes in the Asia-Pacific are evolving along with rising incomes, with more sophisticated flavors and colors rising in demand. “Cocoa, like no other ingredient, can give them this. In our new Cocoa Application Center in Pasir Gudang, we will work closely with our industrial customers to co-create the consumer products of tomorrow: unique products that taste delicious, look appealing, and are easy to process.”

 (Photo: Barry Callebaut)

Barry Callebaut’s President for Cocoa Asia Pacific Edmund Ee said, “Barry Callebaut has the longest experience in cocoa manufacturing, and its premium powder brand Bensdorp will celebrate its 175th anniversary this year. Building upon this strong European heritage, our new Cocoa Application Center in Asia-Pacific reflects our strategic commitment to innovation and to creating value-added services for our customers. Our expertise in innovation, coupled with their market know-how, will enable our customers to differentiate their products and to drive future growth.”