Cargill is investing €18 million in Wallonia and its innovative ‘Maison du Chocolat’
A central hub for chocolate in Wallonia
Cargill, the second-largest industrial chocolate maker in the world (behind Barry Callebaut), relies on Belgium’s expertise and reputation in the world of chocolate.
As a result, it was a no-brainer for the American agri-food multinational to make this new investment in Wallonia and its Mouscron-based production site, where the ‘Maison du Chocolat’ has just been inaugurated.
The new Walloon facility will act as a central hub for all of Cargill’s chocolate-making activities, including coating and filling.
An end-to-end development process
This unique, 6,200 m2 new facility includes a state-of-the-art Chocolate Experience Centre, a one-of-a-kind pilot plant that offers a sensory experience and a work space that will allow people to interact with the forty chocolate engineers that make up Cargill’s European team.
A collaborative experience to boost innovation
Cargill designed this innovative new tool to create and interact closely with its customers. The aim is to help customers to be innovative on the market and take advantage of the multinational's experience, by making its resources and knowledge available to them when creating products inspired by the latest trends.
Cargill involves its customers in a process that has been designed to bring their ideas to life and to help launch them on the market fast.
Cargill and Wallonia: an enduring trust
The multinational has had a presence in Wallonia since 2003, following its acquisition of the Mouscron-based company OCG Cacao. Today, it has three chocolate factories in Belgium: Mouscron, Antwerp and Kalmthout.
In 2015, Cargill invested €35 million in the Mouscron site for the construction of a new production line for liquid chocolate. This would be followed by an additional investment of €12 million in 2018.
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