Gourmet chocolate business affected by pandemic
Antoine Bernard de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Barry Callebaut AG has earlier confirmed that the global Gourmet & Specialties chocolate business will be negatively affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the good news is the main cocoa season in Africa is over when the coronavirus made its impact globally, as such it will not impact on the company’s production volume.
Bernard said, “We expect Gourmet & Specialties volume to be particularly impacted as countries going into lockdown have shut down all restaurants, the coffee zones and most of the out-of-home activity. The impact cannot be quantified at this stage as it depends on the length and the severity of the pandemic. However, we do expect to have a better understanding of the overall impact of COVID-19 on the company by July.”
Barry Callebaut reported that its 1st half (ended February 2020) sales volumes by business were 688,602 tonnes for Food Manufacturing, 227,578 tonnes for Cocoa and 130,515 tonnes for Gourmet & Specialties.
COVID-19’s effect on the Gourmet & Specialties business in China intensified on 13 February when the country went into lockdown. Nevertheless, he expects a gradual recovery of the business with the reopening of China market. He also added that online sales have accelerated in China as well. With no major disruptions to its factories, Barry Callebaut is well-prepared to serve its customers globally.
Focus on sustainability for Japanese market
Barry Callebaut has recently partnered with Tokyo-based Yuraku Confectionery to drive sustainability in Japan. They are calling all chocolate manufacturers and chocolatiers in Japan to come together to make sustainable chocolate the norm.
? In 2016, Barry Callebaut launched Forever Chocolate, a bold plan to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025. By committing to have more than 500,000 cocoa farmers in its supply chain lifted out of poverty, eradicating child labor from its supply chain, becoming forest and carbon positive, and having 100% sustainable ingredients in all of its products, it is leading the way to ensure that chocolate will be around forever.
In addition, consumer awareness in Japan on existing sustainability issues has also ascended to unprecedented levels with a strong commitment of the Japanese government to the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. ?Pascale Meulemeester, Managing Director for Barry Callebaut in Japan, said, “The time for action is now. The new Japanese consumers do not just want chocolate that is tasty and good for them, but also good for the planet and its people. This presents a great opportunity for chocolate manufacturers and artisans to unite behind a common ambition to make sustainable chocolate the norm. We are now working with several companies to develop sustainable products for Japan and we’re looking forward to the announcement in the near future.” ?
A recent consumer insights research in 2019 by Barry Callebaut showed that 72% of Japanese consumers consider sustainability as an important factor when purchasing food and drinks. The research also showed that more than 70% of Japanese consumers link sustainable chocolate to a sense of feeling good, better quality, trustworthiness and alignment with their personal values. One of Japan’s pioneers for sustainability is Yuraku Confectionery, which has just announced their transition to 100% sustainable chocolate in all their highly popular Black Thunder chocolate bars by 2025.
