PITTSBURGH — Barchemy LLC, a leader in better-for-you chocolate, nutritional bar and confectionery ingredients, announced the opening of its third manufacturing facility in Donora, Pennsylvania, which will focus on producing healthier peanut butter coatings, chips and fillings.
The opening of this facility is a key milestone for the company. In June 2022, a 5-alarm fire struck the company’s main plant causing substantial damage, yet no fatalities.
"Once we got over the initial shock, everyone in the company committed to bringing Barchemy back stronger than ever," said Larry Toscano, CEO. “In fact, we made sure all of our employees were paid during the reconstruction, and not a single job was lost as a result of the fire. Thanks to the hard work of our entire team, we didn’t lose a single customer and continue to grow.”
The new peanut manufacturing facility will produce fillings, coatings, and chips (inclusions) based on peanut butter formulas. With the completion of the facility, Barchemy rounds out its portfolio of healthier, kosher parve, and allergen-free ingredients that it supplies to many of the largest wellness brands in the U.S.
“The new peanut facility enables us to completely remove nut allergens from our other two plants. This is a big benefit to our customers,” said Matthew Cooper, president.
In addition to improving food safety, Barchemy is also continually improving product quality. “We’ve installed the same equipment used throughout Europe by premium chocolate manufacturers to produce our peanut products, as well as our other specialty chocolates and coatings,” said Cooper.
To celebrate the opening of the facility, Barchemy is planning a celebration event for employees as well as the local first responders, and local, and state dignitaries. The party will be not only to celebrate the opening of the newest plant but also to mark the anniversary of the 5‑alarm fire that nearly destroyed the main plant.
