• World’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products opens new, unique chocolate training center – the first of its kind – in the Middle East
• CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center offers a wide range of workshops and demonstrations for chefs, culinary professionals as well as chocolate experts

The Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, today announced the opening of its new state-of –the-art CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center. Located in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), it will be the first-of-its-kind training center in the Middle East and the 17th in the company’s network of such centers worldwide.

The new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center will showcase the knowledge accumulated over more than 150 years by Barry Callebaut’s global Gourmet chocolate brands Callebaut® (Belgium), Cacao Barry® (France) and Carma® (Switzerland).

It is offering a diverse range of seminars, demonstrations, theoretical courses and practical workshops, designed to inspire artisans and culinary professionals, including chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakery and other chocolate experts as well as culinary professionals working in hotels, restaurants and the catering business. The center will also serve as a meeting place for chocolate professionals encouraging the exchange of technical expertise among each other.

The well-known French chef Philippe Marand will share his experience in the art of chocolate as Head of the new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in Dubai.

“With our new, globally the 17th CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center we aim to empower all chocolate professionals in the region to create and express themselves beyond the technical barrier with this wonderful material which is chocolate”, says Philippe Marand. “Chefs and confectioners hardly find an occasion or a place where they can further develop their skills, learn from experienced expert teachers and exchange new ideas among each other. Our new training center for chocolate here in Dubai is such a place! It is a unique place where we are cultivating an atmosphere of curiosity, creativity and inspiration for both professionals and chocolate lovers,” – he added.

For Frederic Trombert, Vice President of Barry Callebaut’s Gourmet division in the EEMEA region, the new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center is an important element in further strengthening the company’s footprint in Dubai as well as in the Middle East region.

“We believe this new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center will become the beating chocolate heart for chefs and foodies not only in Dubai but in the whole Middle East. This will bring us closer to our customers, helping them to reinforce their daily know how to become unique by using our products,” says Frederic Trombert. 

“We want to be here because we want to support the excellence at the highest level. To inspire craftsmen, to discover new technics, new tastes, new combinations and ultimately we also want to provide the knowledge platform for young talents” – he added.

Centrally located in Ontario Tower, the Business Bay region – one of the most booming area in Dubai next to the Burj Khalifa – the new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center features the most innovative equipment and utensils one would find in the world’s best schools.

The new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in Dubai will be integrated into the network of the Barry Callebaut Group’s 16 other training centers all around the world. About 38,000 professionals and artisans receive training at these CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ centers every year. For more information about the Barry Callebaut CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ centers please visit: www.chocolate-academy.com

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About Callebaut^® (www.callebaut.com):
For more than 100 years, Callebaut^® has been making chocolate in the heart of Belgium and is still one of the rare chocolate makers to select, roast and grind cacao beans into its own secret and exclusive cocoa mass – the most important ingredient for chocolate couvertures. Callebaut® was established in 1850 in Belgium as a malt brewery and dairy company. It produced its first chocolate bars in 1911 and began production of chocolate couverture for Belgian chocolatiers soon after Callebaut^® began exporting its products in 1950 to craftsmen all over the world and is part of BarryCallebaut^®, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.

About Cacao Barry^® (www.cacao-barry.com):
By constantly inventing and reinventing Pastry and Gastronomy, France gave its name and mark to this art. It is a tradition envied by the whole world. It is all about creativity, innovation, and above all passion. Since its creation in 1842, Cacao Barry^® has been entirely committed to this heritage. Today Cacao Barry^® provides the most complete palette of products, to all passionate chocolate craftsmen around the world: chocolate and couvertures, pralinés, origins and exclusive plantations, decorations and moulds, inspiring them and opening doors to new creative experiences. Besides, Cacao Barry^® offers the widest international community of chocolate professionals, Ambassadors’ Club and Chocolate Academies to support craftsmen and chefs on their quest for perfection. Cacao Barry^® is a global Gourmet brand of Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.

About Carma^® (www.carma.ch): 
Carma^® was created in 1931 in Zurich by Carl Maentler, who decided to launch high quality readyto-use products in order to facilitate the work of pastry chefs. For 80 years, Carma^® has been recognized as a reference brand in the pastry and confectionery sectors as well as in the gastronomy, hotel, restaurant and catering sector (HORECA). Thanks to its successful expansion and increasing demand, Carma^® is exported to a broad customer base around the world. Today, Carma^® is the Swiss Gourmet brand of Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.

About Barry Callebaut Group:
With annual sales of about CHF 5.9 billion (EUR 4.8 billion / USD 6.5 billion) in fiscal year 2013/14, the Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Group runs more than 50 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of over 9,300 people.
The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The two global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut^® and Cacao Barry^®.
The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to sustainable cocoa production through its “Cocoa Horizons” initiative to help ensure future supplies of cocoa as well as improve farmer livelihoods.