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Brantford is about to get a whole lot sweeter.
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A crowd of industry partners and dignitaries gathered Tuesday monring for a ground-breaking ceremony for chocolate maker Barry Callebault’s new plant Bowery Road in the city’s northwest industrial area. It will be opposite the massive refrigerated warehouse for chocolate products made by Hershey’s Canada which opened in the past year.
Barry Callebault is investing $104 million US in the factory that will employ about 200 workers once completed in early 2024 with an initial production capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes.
“We are the largest manufacturer of chocolate cocoa products in the world,” said Steve Woolley, president and CEO of Barry Callebault. “We have 64 factories worldwide and produce roughly 2.2 million metric tonnes of chocolate. We are represented in one out of four chocolate products consumed today in the world.”
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Woolley said the Brantford plant will be the company’s first new North American factory built since 2008 and will become the second largest in the company’s Americas region, next to its facility in St. Hyacinthe, Que. It also has a plant in Chatham, Ont.
In all, Barry Callebault employs more than 13,000 people.
“The Brantford factory will focus on sugar-free and other specialty-type products,” he said. “We are supporting the consumer trends and investing in products our customers are requesting of us. We need to ensure our capabilities are aligned with their growth ambition.”
The Barry Callebaut Group’s clients range from global and local food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants, and caterers.
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Industrial developer Granite Reit purchased the parcel of land – formerly a quarry and asphalt plant – in the summer of 2021.
Michael Ramparas, head of investments at Granite Reit, said his company’s vision is to acquire and develop land with long-term potential. “We’re big believers in the future of this city as evidenced by our capital commitment, and we look forward to other opportunities as they arise.”
He said the 410,000-square-foot Callebault production facility will represent about 25 per cent of the buildable area of the industrial park.
Brantford already is home to the manufacturing plant for another leading chocolate maker, Ferrero Canada.
“This $104 million US investment in a new chocolate factory will help Brantford-Brant be one step closer to becoming Canada’s confectionary capital,” said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma. “As Canadian consumers are constantly searching for healthier and tasty solutions for the foods they crave and enjoy, we will not have to look farther than Brantford when we celebrate Barry Callebault’s new, state-of-the-art facility.”
Brantford Ward 2 Coun. John Sless thanked the company for choosing Brantford for its plant.
“There’s a lot of chocolate going on here,” said Sless.
“I think we have to go back to city hall and look at that map. This might be better known as Dentist Alley.”
