Barry Callebaut has announced plans for multi-year investments to its factory in Wieze, Belgium.

The investments will be allocated to future-proofing the production facility, underlining its importance in delivering best-in-class customer experience and further strengthening operational excellence, the company says. 

In addition to investments in Wieze, the factory in Halle, Belgium will see an investment of €125 million ($147.7 million), underscoring the importance of Belgium to the Barry Callebaut Group. A part of these investments falls under the BC Next Level program, while other parts are regular investments in the factories.

"Wieze is and always will be the cradle of Barry Callebaut," says Wim Debedts, managing director, Benelux & Nordics. "It is the place where our iconic Callebaut brand was born in 1911. With quality at the heart of its success, Callebaut is exported to customers around the world. With these major investments in our Belgian production facilities in Wieze and Halle, we now continue our journey, demonstrating our commitment to our customers and our employees."

The master plan for Wieze includes infrastructure upgrades aimed at enhancing both safety and operational efficiency. Plans include modernization of production lines to elevate food safety and quality and create a safer work environment for employees, and the construction of a ring road to enable one-way traffic onsite.

"These master plan initiatives will not only improve our operational capabilities in Wieze, but also create a more modern, safer and attractive working environment for our dedicated employees," says Flip Hermans, plant manager, Wieze. "Through this investment, we future proof our Wieze factory so we can continue to deliver our customers with the best service, value and quality."