ZURICH, Switzerland — On Sept. 2, The Hershey Company, and Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, announced the extension of their strategic supply partnership originally signed in 2007.
Under the extension agreement, Barry Callebaut will continue to supply Hershey’s North American business with liquid chocolate and finished products. The renewed agreement will enable both companies to continue to drive strategic, long-term growth in North America.
Tricia Brannigan, VP of Procurement for The Hershey Company said: “We are pleased to extend our strategic relationship with Barry Callebaut, who has been a key partner to our business for many years, and we look forward to their support of our continued sustainable growth in high-quality chocolate products.”
Steve Woolley, President & CEO Americas of Barry Callebaut, said: “The extension of the long-term supply partnership with Hershey underscores how Barry Callebaut’s reliability and premium chocolate expertise make it the partner of choice for leading industry players.” Barry Callebaut supplies products to Hershey across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Belgium Acquisition
The Barry Callebaut Group announced Sept. 3 that it has successfully closed the acquisition of Europe Chocolate Company (ECC), a Belgian privately-owned B2B manufacturer of chocolate specialties and decorations. The integration will start as of now.
Wim Debedts, Vice President Food Manufacturers Western Europe at Barry Callebaut, said: “We are pleased to close this acquisition and very happy to welcome the ECC team to the Barry Callebaut family. Their unique know-how and ECC’s highly flexible manufacturing facility will help us to supply a wide variety of customers with highly customized chocolate specialties and decorations.”
The parties have agreed not to disclose any financial details of the transaction, which was first announced on June 24, 2021.
