Barry Callebaut to acquire chocolate manufacturer ASM Foods

Swiss cocoa and chocolate products manufacturer Barry Callebaut has agreed to acquire Sweden-based chocolate company ASM Foods from Carletti, as part of its plan to strengthen its presence in Scandinavia.

The deal includes a speciality factory in Mjölby, Sweden, which produces speciality compound chocolate, fillings and inclusions.

The acquisition is expected to boost Barry Callebaut’s total production capacity by 35,000t.

Barry Callebaut will also acquire the industrial chocolate and compound production of Carletti, including third-party sale agreements.

In addition, Barry Callebaut will sign a long-term outsourcing agreement to supply liquid chocolate and compound products to Carletti. 

Carletti, based in Aarhus, Denmark, produces a range of chocolate and confectionery products and has two subsidiaries – ASM Foods in Mjölby, Sweden, and Carletti Polska in Pruszkow, Poland.

With the acquisition of ASM Foods and the outsourcing agreement, Barry Callebaut is expected to produce an additional 25,000t of chocolate, compound and fillings.

As part of the agreement, Barry Callebaut will divest its non-core business of frozen pastry products in Alicante, Spain, to Givesco, the holding company of Carletti and ASM Foods.

Barry Callebaut CEO Juergen Steinemann said the acquisition of ASM Foods will strengthen the company’s portfolio of higher-margin products, such as speciality compound chocolate, fillings and inclusions.

"This transaction will put us in a leadership position in Scandinavia," Steinemann added.

Barry Callebaut noted that the total cash resulting from these transactions, which are expected to be completed in the summer, will be about CHF33m ($36m).

In January 2012, Barry Callebaut signed a similar outsourcing agreement to supply 70% of Unilever’s global cocoa and chocolate needs.

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Image: The acquisition of ASM Foods is expected to boost Barry Callebaut’s total production capacity by 35,000t. Photo courtesy of Barry Callebaut.