• Barry Callebaut opens a new, unique training center specialized in chocolate – its first in South America 
• CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center offers a wide range of training courses and demonstrations for chefs, culinary professionals as well as chocolate experts 

Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, announces the opening of its first CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in South America, the 15^th center worldwide. Located at Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, the CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center is a state-of-the-art teaching and training facility for culinary professionals at all levels interested in strengthening their skills in working with chocolate and learning about new techniques, trends and recipes dedicated to the Brazilian market.

The center’s offerings include a wide range of training courses and demonstrations for customers in all sectors: chocolatiers, chefs, pastry, bakery and other chocolate experts as well as culinary professionals working in hotels, restaurants and the catering business.

The CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center will showcase the knowledge accumulated over more than 150 years by Barry Callebaut’s world-leading Global Gourmet chocolate brands Callebaut^® and Cacao Barry^®, and well as the company’s local brand Sicao^®, and will encourage the exchange of technical expertise in chocolate between professionals.

Bertrand Busquet, French chef and Technical Advisor at the new Brazilian chocolate training center explains: “Our new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center – the first in South America – will offer a wide range of courses to cover all demands – for beginners up to the experienced chef. Many Brazilian chocolate experts travel to Europe and North America to take courses. Now they can find a high-level place around the corner, here in Brazil.”

Barry Callebaut’s new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center occupies 473m² at the company’s Brazilian headquarters. The spacious training center features a professional kitchen with individual marble countertops for the chocolate pre-crystallization and all the equipment and utensils one would find in the world’s best schools.

Besides Technical Advisor Bertrand Busquet, international chefs and teachers from abroad will share their knowledge and techniques at the new center in São Paulo. The first in a row of such international guests will be the award-winning chef Joseph Ribé, Technical Advisor at Barry Callebaut’s CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in Gurb, Spain. He will conduct a confectionary and pastry course from July 23 to 25, 2013.

For Bertrand Remy, the General Manager of Barry Callebaut in Brazil, the new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center is an important element in further strengthening the company’s footprint in Brazil: “We aim to promote a fruitful exchange between our Technical Advisors and Brazilian brand Ambassadors and the local professionals from all food service specialties. We will create new recipes with and for the Brazilians and discover innovative ways of using chocolate,” says Remy. He adds, “Brazil offers a fantastic, unique opportunity, for we have a complete chain here, from the cocoa bean to the chocolate, and the Brazilian people are always eager to embrace something new.”

The new CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in São Paulo will be integrated into the network of Barry Callebaut’s 14 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^® 
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 Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.

About Cacao Barry^® 
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.

Barry Callebaut: 
With annual sales of about CHF 4.8 billion (EUR 4.0 billion / USD 5.2 billion) for fiscal year 2011/12, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. Barry Callebaut operates out of 30 countries, runs more than 45 production facilities and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce of about 6,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves the entire food industry focusing on industrial food manufacturers, artisans and professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), the latter with its two global brands Callebaut^® and Cacao Barry^®. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. Cost leadership is another important reason why global as well as local food manufacturers work together with Barry Callebaut. Through its Cocoa Horizons initiative and research activities, the company engages with farmers, farmer organizations and other partners to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods.