MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The Barry Callebaut Group on March 24 celebrated the official opening of its 118,000-square-foot plant expansion in Campbellfield, near Melbourne, Australia. Barry Callebaut acquired the plant as part of its acquisition of GKC Foods (Australia) Pty Ltd. in 2020.

“This factory expansion underlines Barry Callebaut’s ongoing commitment to Australia,” said Jo Thys, president of Asia Pacific at Barry Callebaut. “The facility further strengthens our regional footprint in Asia Pacific, producing safe and high-quality products. The move is in line with our ambition to locate production close to our customers.”

As part of the expansion, Barry Callebaut said it added new production lines, which add significantly to the total production capacity of the Australian facility and its range of offerings. The offerings now include liquid chocolate, compound, buttons, chips as well as specialties such as coatings and fillings, the company said.

“I am proud that our gourmet chocolates have been brought into the country for many years now,” said Denis Convert, managing director for Australia at Barry Callebaut. “Today, I am even prouder that our high quality ‘Made in Australia’ products are available in higher volumes, creating more chocolate happiness for our local consumers. With the expansion of our Campbellfield factory, we are well positioned to become the leading chocolate manufacturer in Australia.”