Food & Beverage Asia June/July 2022

22
BITING ISSUES
Barry Callebaut establishes Farm of the Future
to promote cocoa farming research
and innovation
With a deep knowledge of
agricultural production, Ecuador
is the world’s third-largest cocoa
producer and one of the fastestgrowing
cocoa origins, as well as
the largest global producer of fine
flavour cocoa. Combined with Barry
Callebaut’s knowledge in innovation
and sustainability, Ecuador was
an ideal location for the company
to build a hub for cocoa farming
research, supporting cocoa farming
resilience and productivity.
“Our Farm of the Future aims to
be a contributor to the global
movement on food system
innovation. The establishment
of this hub is a valuable vehicle
for providing new opportunities
for sustainable cocoa farming,
innovation, and research,” said
Pablo Perversi, chief innovation,
sustainability and quality officer,
global head of gourmet.
The 640-hectare property is located
in the Cerecita Valley in Ecuador.
Operations and infrastructure
development will start immediately
with the planting of cocoa seedlings
on the farm’s 400 hectares of
non-planted land. Integration
of high-yielding and maximum
flavour varieties in the planting
design will also support crosslearning
between cocoa farms of
all sizes, in different locations and
climates from around the world.
Next to cocoa bean variety,
agronomics research will also
test resilient farming techniques,
pre- and post-harvest processes,
fermentation control, diversification
of income, and improved cost
control. Ultimately, the company
aims to establish optimal cocoa
farming practices that are climatesmart
and enhance sustainability
and farm profitability. Once the
farm is fully operational, it seeks
to employ approximately 80
people from the local area.
Integration of high-yielding and
maximum flavour varieties in the
planting design will support crosslearning
between cocoa farms of
all sizes, in different locations and
climates from around the world.
“With the opening of Farm of the
Future, Barry Callebaut is further
strengthening its cocoa farming
research capabilities for the benefit
of cocoa yield, sustainability, and
quality,” commented Steven
Retzlaff, president global cocoa.
The Farm of the Future is geared
towards meeting Barry Callebaut’s
Forever Chocolate plan, which
aims to make sustainable
chocolate the norm by 2025. New
findings from their farms of the
future will further help support
the company’s research, and
will feed into their Farm Services
programme, reaching cocoa
farmers of all origins in Barry
Callebaut’s supply chain. This
supports Barry Callebaut’s goal
to secure and improve farmers’
livelihoods by increasing the value
of their cocoa through improved
quality and higher yield. ■
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA JUNE / JULY 2022