Swiss company to buy Melbourne B2B chocolate maker

Swiss-headquartered confectionery company Barry Callebaut Group agreed to acquire Australian business-to-business manufacturer GKC Foods at a virtual signing ceremony on Wednesday.

Financial details of the deal, which is expected to be complete by the end of the financial year, were not disclosed.

Privately-owned GKC has been operating since the 1980s, according to its website, and supplies contract and private label chocolate, coatings and fillings to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“I am very proud of the great chocolate business we have built from scratch over the past 35 years,” said John Borell, managing director of the Melbourne company. 

“Our agreement with Barry Callebaut will ensure the successful future of GKC Foods and our team as part of a large, international, group. We really appreciate the business principles and the team spirit on which Barry Callebaut is based.”

BCG said in a statement that it would upgrade the factory, add a new line, and would deploy an “integrated management system” to increase automation at the site, which would employ 50. It cited ANZ’s position as a leading per capita consumer of chocolate in the region and future growth opportunities.

“We already have the highest quality products today and we will further grow our competitive advantage through the acquisition of, and investment in, the best-in-class GKC Foods manufacturing facility in Australia,” said Ben De Schryver, Barry Callebaut president in Asia Pacific. 

Picture: GKC Foods

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