Barry Callebaut’s Senoko Chocolate Factory Expansion

A fourth production line was added to the Senoko facility in June 2020. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

The new production line will deliver superior performance. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

The fourth production line will support increased chocolate production. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

The expansion will enable the company to meet increasing demand. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

Barry Callebaut launched the Cacaofruit Experience range of productions in September 2019. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

The company upgraded the Chocolate AcademyTM at the Senoko facility in 2017. Credit: Barry Callebaut.

Barry Callebaut, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, completed the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Senoko in northern Singapore in June 2020.

The expansion involved the addition of a fourth production line at the chocolate factory.

The Singapore facility was opened in 1997 and a white chocolate production line was commissioned in 2005. The company’s previous expansion of the plant was implemented in 2016 and included the installation of a third production line, along with a moulding line and a warehouse, with a total investment of $18m. The Senoko chocolate factory also upgraded its Chocolate Academy^TM in 2017.

The company worked with Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) for the latest expansion.

Barry Callebaut’s Senoko chocolate factory location

The chocolate manufacturing facility is located on a 12,000m² site at Senoko South Road near Woodlands.

The facility is the first and the largest industrial chocolate factory in Singapore.

Barry Callebaut’s Senoko chocolate factory expansion details

The new equipment at the manufacturing facility can efficiently produce different sizes of chocolate blocks.

The fourth production line will increase the manufacturing capacity of the facility while also providing high performance and ensuring higher safety and quality standards.

In addition, it will allow the company to fulfil the growing demand from consumers in the South Korean and Southeast Asian markets.

The Senoko facility expansion will also facilitate efficiencies in the company’s operations and deliver innovative products to consumers.

Details of the existing facility

The existing facility includes four production lines, a warehouse, and a chocolate chips/drops moulding line, which enables the company to manufacture various products in different shapes and sizes.

Spread across 2,600m², the warehouse supports efficient and quicker product deliveries to the markets. The Chocolate Academy^TM at the manufacturing facility is used for the testing and development of new chocolate products, as well as providing training for artisans and professionals.

The products manufactured at the Senoko facility are exported to local and global manufacturers, pastry chefs, chocolatiers, restaurants, bakers, and caterers.

Sustainability measures of the company

Barry Callebaut cut its carbon footprint by 6.7% in 2018-2019 fiscal, while the reduction per tonne of product was 12.1%. It aims to become carbon and forest positive by 2025 through the Forever Chocolate strategy, with a focus on the sustainable production of chocolate.

To support sustainability goals, the company is procuring products from countries that have lower carbon intensity. The company has also been encouraging dairy suppliers to decrease carbon emissions at their processing facilities and farms.

The company partnered with the Gold Standard Foundation for the development of a mechanism to reduce carbon emissions at farm level and in cocoa-growing communities.

Product portfolio

The product range offered by the company is categorised under three different product groups, including gourmet and specialities products, cocoa products, and food manufacturers products.

The product portfolio includes high-quality chocolate products such as artisanal and gourmet products, as well as food manufacturers’ treats. Cacao Barry, Callebaut, Bensdorp, Carma, Chocovic, American Almond, and Callebaut are some of the key brands of the company.

Marketing commentary on Barry Callebaut

The Barry Callebaut Group was formed by the merger between French chocolate maker Cacao Barry and Belgium’s Callebaut in 1996. Headquartered in Switzerland, the company provides chocolate and cocoa products to customers globally.

Barry Callebaut formed a partnership with Mondelez to support the expansion of the Cocoa Life programme in Côte d’Ivoire, in 2015. The programme aims to promote sustainable cocoa farming practices and empower local farmers. Barry Callebaut also won a new patent to produce reduced-fat chocolate.

Barry Callebaut was listed on the SXI Switzerland Sustainability 25® index, which contains the 25 most sustainable listed companies in Switzerland.

In 2018, Barry Callebaut acquired chocolate manufacturer Inforum in Russia. Barry Callebaut operates ten chocolate and cocoa plants across Asia.