Swiss cocoa and chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has signed a deal to supply Unilever’s ice cream business.

Barry Callebaut said it will become Unilever’s “strategic global supplier and innovation partner” for cocoa and chocolate.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The agreement will double the volumes Barry Callebaut supplies to Unilever, which will buy 70% of its cocoa and chocolate products from the Swiss firm.

Barry Callebaut CEO Juergen Steinemann said the company was “honoured” to have secured the deal. “This agreement is based on a successful long-standing collaboration between our two companies,” he said today (23 January).

Kevin Havelock, president of Unilever’s “refreshment” business, said the company’s “leadership position” in the ice cream sector was based on “great taste, innovation and increasingly sustainable ingredients”. He added: “We need partners like Barry Callebaut to help us extend this position and achieve our overall aim.”

Last week, Barry Callebaut announced a new deal to supply baker Grupo Bimbo with chocolate to use in its products in Mexico. The agreement was announced on the day that Barry Callebaut said volumes in the first quarter of its financial year had fallen below target.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact