Cargill is expanding the cocoa pressing capacity of its Ilhéus plant in Brazil by 25 per cent.
The company said that the investment is designed to help the plant keep up with rising consumer demand for chocolate and cocoa products. The expansion project is already underway and expected to be concluded in early 2014.
Cargill is investing more than ten million Real (R$10 million) in pressing equipment and a technology platform to ensure higher production efficiency and reduce energy demand of its operations by up to 10 per cent.
Brazil’s swelling middle class is one of the main factors driving consumption of food with richer flavour and more indulgent appeal, said Cargill. Accordingly, the demand for chocolate, ice cream, dairy beverages, cocoa powder beverages, desserts, biscuits, and other products containing cocoa products is on the rise and encouraging investment.
The Association of Cocoa Processors (AIPC) reports that in 2012 the industry experienced a 3% growth in the processing of cocoa beans.
“Cargill’s investment is aligned with the goal of supporting the growth of our customers, with initiatives ranging from encouraging Brazilian cocoa farming, to ensuring quality raw materials and implementing new processing technologies to promote on-going competitiveness,” said Miguel Sieh, director of Cargill’s Cocoa and Chocolate Business Unit in Brazil.
Growing consumption of chocolate and cocoa products comes in tandem with an expanded supply chain and higher production of cocoa beans in Brazil, at the rate of 3-5 percent a year over the past five years, according to Cargill.
Since 2008, in the state of Bahia, the company has been supporting the Phoenix project, an initiative led by the Association of Cocoa Processors (AIPC) that disseminates best growing practices. The project has already benefited 25 farmers directly and about 300 indirectly.
Cargill has also been supporting different initiatives in the state of Pará. In partnership with the Executive Committee for Cocoa Farming (CEPLAC), in the past four years the company has distributed 20 million cocoa seeds to more than 2,000 farmers, which resulted in 10,000 hectares of cocoa farms.
Another initiative in the Amazon Region is the More Sustainable Cocoa Project. This is done in partnership with CEPLAC, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and a smallholders’ cooperative of São Félix do Xingu (CAPPRU). The project encourages economically feasible reclamation of environmentally degraded areas, and promotes compliance with environmental regulations by smallholders in the area of São Félix do Xingu, state of Pará. The initiative will benefit 100 farmers directly and about 900 indirectly to plant 500 new hectares of cocoa.
Cargill has operated its Ilhéus plant since 1980. It is one of the main cocoa suppliers in Latin America and processes cocoa beans to produce cocoa powder, liquor, and butter. The facilities employ about 300 people.
