Barry Callebaut opens new center in Dubai to drive innovation in Middle East chocolate industry
UAE – World leading manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products Barry Callebaut Group, has inaugurated its relocated Chocolate Academy Center in Dubai.
According to the company, the center, which is now at the foot of the iconic Burj Khalifa, will serve as a creative platform where chefs and artisans can showcase and develop their talent and skills.
The center’s dedicated team of chefs is also expected to continue inspiring and educating the chocolate industry and introducing new techniques to artisans, pastry chefs, confectioners, bakers and caterers.
This, according to Barry, would play an important role in driving innovation as consumption patterns shift towards premiumization and new concepts in terms of design, color and flavors.
“The relocated Chocolate Academy Center Dubai will strengthen the collaboration with our customers in the growing Middle East region, helping them to develop their own profile in terms of taste and flavor,” said Rogier van Sligter, President EMEA.
The Chocolate maker said that courses and events with physical attendance will resume as of October 21, just as the Chocolate market starts to recover from depressed sales during the pandemic.
“The Chocolate Academy Center Dubai supports local businesses in finding the right chocolate solutions to help them win in the market,” said Amine Mebrouki, General Manager Middle East & North Africa.
“From empowering women and young talents, to supporting new concepts: The Chocolate Academy Center Dubai is the place to be in the Middle East region for everything related to chocolate.”
The Chocolate Academy Center Dubai is part of Barry Callebaut’s wider network of 24 academies across the globe.
In Dubai, Barry plans to position the center as the premier platform for bringing renowned chefs to Dubai to inspire, train and advise local artisans.
Earlier, Barry Callebaut officially expanded its footprint in Southeast Europe with the inauguration of a new chocolate factory in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city.
The state-of-the-art factory, built at a cost of 55 million euros (U$64m), will have an initial annual production capacity of over 50,000 tonnes of chocolate, enabling Barry to adequately cover the rapidly growing chocolate markets of Southeastern Europe.
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