Cargill’s Kalmthout Production Facility Expansion, Belgium

The estimated investment in the Kalmthout facility expansion project is €3.5m ($3.95m). Credit: Cargill, Incorporated.

The company aims to reduce supply chain emissions by 30% by 2030. Credit: Cargill, Incorporated.

Cargill is planning to start operations at its first chocolate manufacturing operation in Asia in 2021. Credit: Cargill, Incorporated.

Cargill, a food company based in the US, is expanding its existing production facility in Kalmthout, Belgium, to increase its gourmet chocolate production capacity.

The investment will complement the company’s acquisition of Smet, a Belgian chocolate products provider, in April 2019. The acquisition was made to increase growth in the gourmet segment.

With an estimated investment of €3.5m ($3.95m), Cargill’s Kalmthout production facility expansion project is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020. It will create 12 new jobs in the Kalmthout region.

Cargill’s Kalmthout production facility location and expansion details

As part of the expansion, Cargill will add new chocolate tanks and a fifth gourmet production line to the Kalmthout facility in Belgium. The new chocolate tanks will improve storage and piping.

The project will enhance the company’s production flexibility and support the expansion of its customer base. It will also improve Cargill’s capability to develop innovative products and ensure a faster delivery of products to market.

Cargill’s product portfolio

Cargill offers ingredients for a variety of food products such as cereals, dry mixes, bakery, dairy, confectionery, ice cream, and desserts. Its product portfolio in the food and beverage segment includes Gerkens® cocoa powders, fillings, cocoa liquors, cocoa butter, and coatings.

The caramel range includes Peter’s® Caramel, Peter’s® Liquid Caramel, and Merckens® Vanilla Caramel while the dark chocolate products range includes brands such as Ambrosia®, Peter’s®, Wilbur®, and Merckens®.

For customers in the confectionery segment, the company offers confectionery flavours and coatings, mostly made without hydrogenated oil. The speciality chocolate products include Tropic Dutched Chocolate Liquor, as well as chocolate flavoured and rainbow decorettes.

Cargill launched SweetPure™ M Wheat and Barley Malt Syrup, an unrefined sweetener for use in snack bar, bakery and cereal products, in June 2020. The company is fulfilling the growing demand of customers in the gourmet segment through its Veliche™ gourmet couvertures and Smet decorations.

Sustainability features implemented by Cargill

Cargill set a target of cutting emissions across its North American supply chain by 30% by 2030. The company’s BeefUp Sustainability Advisory Panel is responsible for providing a critical review of the strategy of the sustainability initiative.

The company trained more than 5,000 seafood workers and farmers in Vietnam and Thailand through workshops to encourage sustainable practices.

It is using an energy-efficient fleet and has installed energy-saving devices onboard the existing vessels to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.  The initiative has enabled the company to cut gross CO₂ emissions by approximately 800,000t.

In 2014, the company introduced the Policy on Sustainable Palm Oil with the aim of eliminating deforestation in the commercial palm concessions of its supply chain by the end of 2020.

Cargill partnered with Imaflora, a non-profit organisation, to provide support to the cocoa producers in Pará, Brazil, and to enable the supply of sustainable cocoa to the chocolate industry. The projects being carried out by the organisations will involve the use of good agricultural practices to increase productivity.

Marketing commentary on Cargill

Cargill is a food corporation that links farmers to markets and customers to ingredients. Founded in 1865, the company serves customers in the financial, agriculture and food industries. It is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, and operates across 70 countries, with approximately 160,000 employees.

Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business provides a wide range of customised ingredients to the food industry. The company has processing plants in the UK, Belgium, France, Canada, Ghana, Cameroon, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, Brazil, and the Netherlands.