Barry Callebaut AG is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products. Barry Callebaut operates through three divisions: food products, gourmet and specialities products and cocoa products.
Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the Barry Callebaut Group was created by Klaus Johann Jacobs in 1996 when he merged the Belgian chocolate maker, Callebaut, and the French chocolate producer, Cacao Barry.
Both Cacao Barry and Callebaut trace their roots back to the 19th century. Cacao Barry was founded in 1842 by Charles Barry in Meulan, France, while the Barry family began their cocoa production business in 1920.
Two years after their 1996 merger, the new company, Barry Callebaut, was listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange. The company expanded into the Asian market in 1997 with its state-of-the-art chocolate production facility in Singapore.
Barry Callebaut acquired the US-based company, Van Leer Chocolate, in 1998, followed by acquisitions in Switzerland and Brazil just before 2000.
Today, Barry Callebaut generates annual sales of over $7.5 billion. The company operates 62 factories with sales in 140 countries and employs more than 12,000 individuals.
- Family name: Jacobs family
- Sector: Consumer Products & Retail
- Founded: 1996
- Founder: Klaus Johann Jacobs
- Country: Switzerland
- Company headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
- Chairman: Patrick De Maeseneire
- Revenue: US$6.5 billion
- Family ownership: 58.6%
- Employees: 12,257
- Website: https://www.barry-callebaut.com/
