Barry Callebaut has said its move to consolidate UK chocolate production will boost efficiency.
The company announced this morning (4 December) it will close its liquid chocolate factory in Chester, with the loss of around 25 jobs. Production will be moved to the company’s production site in Banbury.
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Barry Callebaut said the decision to close the factory in Chester follows falling demand for liquid chocolate products, as industrial customers increasingly use solid chocolate options.
A spokesperson for the company said Barry Callebaut “aims at optimising our production and logistics flows” through the move.
Barry Callebaut said it will increase production capacities at Banbury and broaden its product offering. The spokesperson added that Banbury will have greater manufacturing capacity than the Chester site, which could manufacture up to 25,000 tonnes of liquid chocolate per annum.
“Our Banbury factory is our core factory in the UK when it comes to industrial chocolate. Therefore, Banbury has much more capacity than Chester,” the spokesperson told just-food.
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By GlobalData“We are a B2B company, delivering food manufacturers with chocolate ingredients. Products made in Banbury very much depend on the demand of our customers. We have a wide range of products and recipes we can offer them,” the spokesperson added.
