Cargill officially opens cocoa processing facility in Indonesia to serve growing Asian market

-The company's first cocoa processing facility in Asia

-Will offer premium Gerkens® cocoa powders to meet consumers' taste profiles in the region

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Dec 10, 2014, 09:00 ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Food and beverage manufacturers seeking to meet the growing demand amongst Asian consumers for chocolate and cocoa products will benefit from a greater availability of high quality cocoa powders following the inauguration of Cargill's cocoa processing facility in Gresik, Indonesia.

Creating over 300 new jobs, the US $100 million facility will have a 70,000-metric-ton processing capacity and will produce Cargill's premium brand Gerkens® cocoa powders, as well as high quality cocoa liquor and butter. Its blending capability will leverage the company's broad and in-depth cocoa knowledge to enable customers to benefit from superior, consistent and tailor-made solutions that meet Asian consumers' taste profiles.

The state-of-the-art facility in the East Java region was officially opened in the presence of Indonesian Minister of Industry Mr. Saleh Husin and David MacLennan, Cargill's president and chief executive officer. The ceremony also was attended by Jos de Loor, president of Cargill's cocoa & chocolate business in Europe Middle-East, Africa and Asia, local dignitaries and customers.

"Our customers expect us to keep innovating and adding value to their products, and this investment focuses on delivering for their success," said Jos de Loor. "We have been sourcing cocoa in Indonesia since 1995, and we are committed to supporting sustainable agricultural production and a responsible cocoa supply in the country. We work with governments, communities and partners to help build a vibrant Indonesian cocoa industry with a long-term future."

The cocoa beans processed at the Gresik plant will be supplied primarily from Sulawesi, where cocoa farming is the principal income for hundreds of thousands of families and where Cargill has been sourcing cocoa since 1995. The company is strengthening activities to support sustainable cocoa production in Indonesia as part of the Cargill Cocoa Promise, the company's global commitment to improving the livelihoods of farmers, their families and their communities.

Cargill plans to train 4,500 cocoa farmers in newly created Farmer Field Schools in the Bone and Soppeng regencies, and aims to enable 2,000 of them to gain independent sustainable certification. It is supporting the Sustainable Cocoa Production Program (SCPP), a partnership that includes Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), Swisscontact and private sector companies to provide training and technical assistance to Indonesian cocoa farmers in South Sulawesi Province, Bone and Soppeng Districts.

The new facility and the expanded sourcing operations in Indonesia will complement Cargill's existing global network of cocoa sourcing operations and processing facilities. The investment also strengthens the company's presence in Indonesia, where it has been operating for over 40 years and today employs over 12,000 people in business activities including animal nutrition, cocoa, grain and oilseeds, palm oil, copra and sugar.

Notes for editors:

About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and nearly 150 years of experience. We have 145,000 employees in 67 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

About Cargill in Indonesia
Cargill began doing business in Indonesia in 1974 by establishing a feed mill in Bogor, West Java. Today, Cargill is headquartered in Jakarta and has over 11,000 employees. We have 26 locations with offices, manufacturing plants and facilities throughout the country. Business activities comprise animal nutrition, cocoa, grain and oilseeds, palm oil, copra and sugar. Cargill is a responsible corporate citizen of Indonesia, and its local programs foster responsible and sustainable development, help protect the environment, and nourish the people and possibilities that reside in local communities. For more information, visit www.cargill.co.id

About Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate offers the food industry a wide range of both standard and customised cocoa and chocolate ingredients to be used in delicious bakery, confectionery, and dairy applications all over the world. Our product range includes high quality Gerkens® cocoa powders, chocolate including Wilbur®, Peter's® and Veliche®, coatings, fillings, cocoa liquors and cocoa butters. With years of experience in technical food expertise Cargill supports its customers in new recipes and new product development.

Our facilities in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are fully dedicated to produce in accordance with the highest food safety standards.

To secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans we have our own cocoa bean sourcing operations for buying, handling and/or exporting of cocoa beans in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia and Vietnam. Presence in all the leading producing countries allows Cargill to oversee the supply chain from beans at origin to cocoa and chocolate products on our customers' doorstep. In addition, extensive market research and analysis proves to be a source of valuable information to our customers.

For more information visit: www.cargillcocoachocolate.com

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SOURCE Cargill