Barry Callebaut and Malaysian Cocoa Board to cooperate on developing superior quality cocoa and chocolate from Malaysia
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Barry Callebaut AG / Barry Callebaut and Malaysian Cocoa Board to cooperate on developing superior quality cocoa and chocolate from Malaysia processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
· Collaborative research project aiming to improve the quality of cocoa
and chocolate in Malaysia comprises:
o Barry Callebaut to provide its "controlled fermentation" technology to
produce consistently high quality cocoa beans, increasing the value of Malaysian
cocoa beans.
o The Malaysian Cocoa Board to conduct the research in Malaysia, to
provide its state-of-the-art facilities and expert staff, and to help select
test sites
· Barry Callebaut Malaysia to use controlled fermented "Superior Grade"
cocoa beans in innovative cocoa and chocolate products to be sold mainly under
the KLK Cocoa and Selbourne brand
Zurich/Switzerland, March 16, 2010 - During a signing ceremony in Putrajaya,
Malaysia, in the presence of The Honorable Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Minister of
Plantation Industries & Commodities, Barry Callebaut Malaysia, subsidiary of the
world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products Barry
Callebaut AG, and the Malaysian Cocoa Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding
on a collaborative research project that is expected to result in higher quality
chocolate from superior quality Malaysian cocoa beans. Specifically, the
collaboration aims to improve Malaysian cocoa bean quality, focusing on
optimizing cocoa taste, enhancing the amount of functional components and
altering color. Additionally, the processability of cocoa beans will be
enhanced.
The collaborative research projects will apply and assess different microbial
starter cultures developed by Barry Callebaut for a "controlled fermentation"
process. Fermentation is a process that is necessary for cocoa to develop its
characteristic taste and flavor. While bean fermentation normally happens
spontaneously in the bush or the cocoa plantation, Barry Callebaut developed a
way to "control" and optimize cocoa fermentation. Controlled fermentation with
defined micro-organisms provides consistent, predictable and superior cocoa bean
quality. This in turn leads to improved flavor characteristics, zero-default
cocoa beans, enhanced levels of functional components (e.g. flavanols), and
improved processability. With the objective of protecting and developing the
cocoa industry in Malaysia, the Malaysian Cocoa Board will engage its expert
staff to carry out the research in its state-of-the-art labs in its R&D centers
in Malaysia to evaluate the impact of controlled fermentation. The Malaysian
Cocoa Board will also assist Barry Callebaut in identifying more sites for field
tests in Malaysia.
Selbourne Estate, one of the leading estates in Malaysia, cultivating - among
other crops - cocoa plantations in Pahang, will function as one of the test
sites for controlled fermentation as well as for the implementation of
pragmatic, improved agricultural practices which are expected to lead to
improved cocoa tree yields. Selbourne Estate is owned by Kuala Lumpur Kepong
BHD, one of the top plantation companies in Malaysia and 40%-partner in Barry
Callebaut Malaysia.
More than 20 other sites have been identified for the first phase of
implementation. Barry Callebaut intends to ramp up the volumes of controlled
fermented 'Superior Grade' beans sourced from Malaysia to 5,000mt within the
next 3 years. In its factory located in Port Klang, Barry Callebaut Malaysia
will process the beans into premium chocolate and cocoa products and
commercialize them in Asia-Pacific under the well-known Selbourne brand and KLK
cocoa brands.
Barry Callebaut's CEO Juergen Steinemann said at the signing ceremony: "Due to
current growth limitations in cocoa supply from Ivory Coast - the world's
largest cocoa producing country - and our growing demand for cocoa, we have a
strategic need to diversify our cocoa origins. Malaysia and neighboring
countries currently produce about 15% of the annual global cocoa harvest and are
logical sourcing alternatives to West Africa for us. On the other hand, many
consumers in the traditional chocolate consuming countries of Europe and North
America are used to the flavor of West African cocoa. Malaysia is the largest
cocoa grinding country in Asia; Malaysian grinders import beans from Africa to
make high-flavor cocoa products. Controlled fermentation will allow us to match
the taste of
Malaysian cocoa with the taste of West African cocoa. We are very pleased about
this important partnership with the renowned Malaysian Cocoa Board and the
experienced Selbourne Estate. Controlled fermentation is also an excellent means
to support the Malaysian cocoa industry as it enables farmers to increase the
value of their cocoa through consistently high quality, which will improve
farmer incomes."
Dato' Dr. Azhar Ismail, Director General of the Malaysian Cocoa Board, said at
the MoU signing ceremony: "There is serious competition from other commodity
crops such as rubber and palm trees to the existing cocoa plantations in
Malaysia. We see the partnership with Barry Callebaut as an excellent
opportunity to further develop and sustain the cocoa industry in our country. If
our cocoa farmers can earn more, they will continue to grow cocoa. This is good
for our economy as well as for the biodiversity of our agricultural sector."
* * *
Barry Callebaut (www.barry-callebaut.com
With annual sales of about CHF 4.9 billion / EUR 3.2 billion / USD 4.3 billion
for fiscal year 2008/09, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world's leading
manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate - from the cocoa bean to the
finished product on the store shelf. Barry Callebaut is present in 26 countries,
operates about 40 production facilities and employs about 7,500 people. The
company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional
users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global
retailers. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate. The
company is actively engaged in initiatives and projects that contribute to a
more sustainable cocoa supply chain.
Barry Callebaut has four factories in Asia-Pacific: in Malaysia, China,
Singapore and Japan. Its largest factory as well as its regional head office are
located in Malaysia.
Malaysian Cocoa Board (www.koko.gov.my
The Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) is a federal statutory research and development
agency under the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities. It was
established in 1988 and has been in operation since 1989. The main objective is
to develop the cocoa industry in Malaysia to be well integrated and competitive
in the global market. Emphasis is given to increasing productivity and
efficiency in cocoa bean production and increasing downstream activities.
Kuala Lumpur Kepong BHD (www.klk.com.my
KLK is amongst the top plantation companies in Malaysia, with a land bank in
excess of 217,000 hectares, located in Peninsular Malaysia (70,000 hectares),
Sabah (40,000 hectares) and Indonesia (107,000 hectares). Whilst plantation
remains KLK's core business, the Group has expanded downstream into
resource-based manufacturing, in particular oleochemicals and rubber processing.
The complete news release can be downloaded from the following link:
http://hugin.info/100441/R/1394023/351044.pdf
* * *
Contacts
At Barry Callebaut:
for investors and financial analysts for the media
Simone Lalive d'Epinay, Head of IR Gaby Tschofen, VP Corp. Communications
Barry Callebaut AG Barry Callebaut AG
Phone: +41 43 204 04 23 Phone: +41 43 204 04 60
simone_lalive(at)barry-callebaut.com gaby_tschofen(at)barry-callebaut.com
At the Malaysian Cocoa Board:
Director General
Malaysian Cocoa Board
5&6(th) Floor Wisma SEDCO
Locked bag 211
88999 Kota Kinabalu
Sabah, Malaysia
Phone: +6 088 234477
abi(at)koko.gov.my
[HUG#1394023]
--- End of Message ---
Barry Callebaut AG
P.O. Box Zurich Switzerland
WKN: 914661;ISIN: CH0009002962;
Press Release (PDF): http://hugin.info/100441/R/1394023/351044.pdf
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Datum: 16.03.2010 - 02:30 Uhr
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