Barry Callebaut, a Swiss business-to-business chocolate and cocoa product manufacturer, has been in Singapore for 20 years. This may not be a brand that consumers are aware of. That’s because Barry Callebaut serves the food industry that uses chocolate and cocoa products as ingredients in their consumer products as well as artisanal as well as professional users of chocolates such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants and caterers. That’s 25% of all consumer products around the world that contains cocoa or chocolate from Barry Callebaut.
But you may recall seeing the world’s tallest chocolate fountain in Singapore at Fantasia by Escriba in 2014 or the world’s biggest chocolate bar by Nestlé made with Barry Callebaut chocolates at Plaza Singapura in 2006.
Located in Senoko, Barry Callebaut’s factory on the 1.2-hectare site is the oldest and largest chocolate factory in Singapore. It has produced over 360 million kilogrammes of chocolate which can produce 7.5 million chocolate milk bars. Most of the chocolate produced here are exported to countries in Asia Pacific including Austalia and Japan. The factories in Singapore and across Asia also produce its gourmet chocolate under the Van Houten Professional, SICAO, Selborne, and Van Leer brands. Other customers of Barry Callebaut include global food manufacturers such as Mondelez and Unilever as well as national food companies such as Morinaga in Japan and GarudaFood in Indonesia. Pastry Chefs in Singapore who use Barry Callebaut’s chocolates for their creations include Janice Wong of 2am Dessert Bar and Cheryl Koh of Tarte.
Euromonitor has estimated the chocolate business in Singapore at S$169 million in 2016 and is expected to increase to S$219 million in 2021. Singapore is one of Asia’s top consumer of chocolate products. An average person in Singapore consumes 1 kilogramme per capita per year, equivalent to about 22 milk chocolate bars per year.
The Chocolate Academy Centre in the facility offers training for the chocolate industry in this region. Here industry individuals learn about chocolate applications with the latest technologies as well as get technical support. Barry Callebaut also has other Chocolate Academies in Mumbai, Shanghai and Tokyo. This centre in Singapore has conducted over 150 classes, training and demos in the last two years for over 700 professionals and students. There are sessions here for beginners, advanced and specialised courses on chocolate processing and techniques.
The Chocolate Academy is headed by South Korean Chef Seung Yun Lee and assisted by Agus Spriyadi, Junior Chocolate Academy Centre Chef. She has over 17 years of experience and has worked in the renowned Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School in Australia, Javacity and Vanilla Bean Cake in Korea. She found and operated Pinch of Love which is reputed for its made-to-order pralines and macarons. She was the winner of The World Chocolate Masters Asia Pacific Selection 2011 and the third runner-up at The World Chocolate Masters Final 2011 in Paris.
Chef Agus Supriyadi moved to Singapore in 2015 to join Seung Yun as a team to run the centre. Agus has over 15 years of experience and provides technical innovation in the areas of chocolate and compound to key customers in South East Asia. He has worked at Dapur Cokelat, Chocomory Chocolate Shop and Christian Andrie trained him in production planning and application solutions.
Advanced courses available in the second half of 2017 include Contemporary Bon Bon & Dessert Bars with Long Shelf Life with Guest Chef Melissa Coppel from 11 to 13 July for S$900; Guest Chef Hisashi Onobayashi Showpiece Class from 16 to 18 August 2017 at S$900; Demonstration of Beautiful Bon Bon and Dessert Bars by Guest Chef Melissa Coppel on 14 July 2017 for S$70 or Guest Chef Hisahshi Onobayashi’s Petit Gateaux from 21 to 23 August for S$900. Details and the course calendar are available here.
