Barry Callebaut: Patrick De Maeseneire reelected as Chairman
The ordinary Annual General Meeting 2018 of Barry Callebaut AG was held in Zurich-Oerlikon. All motions were adopted as proposed by the Board of Directors, including the reelection of Patrick De Maeseneire as Chairman and the election of Suja Chandrasekaran, Angela Wei Dong and Markus Neuhaus as new Board members.
The shareholders also approved the proposed payout of CHF 24.00 per share, an increase of 20% versus prior year. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on January 9, 2019.
Barry Callebaut appoints Isabelle Esser Chief Human Resources Officer
Barry Callebaut AG today announced the appointment of Isabelle Esser as Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Executive Committee, reporting to CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique, effective February 1, 2019.
She joins Barry Callebaut from Unilever, where she currently serves as Executive Vice President R&D Foods Transformation in the Global Foods & Refreshment Division, responsible for leading the transformation of the Foods R&D into a more agile innovation engine and for developing talent, capabilities and the organization of the future. In her more than 25 years of leadership experience, Isabelle Esser has held various management positions in Innovation and R&D with the Foods as well as the Home & Personal Care businesses of Unilever.
Palm oil producer Wilmar to use satellites to track deforestation
The use of palm oil continues to come under mounting scrutiny forcing companies to address their role in this industry.
The pioneering move comes as bakery industry supplier Corbion has signed on as a member of the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network (NASPON), through which major industry players in the region are collaborating to create a greener palm oil supply chain. Both companies are ramping up efforts to create a sustainable supply chain and eliminate some of the controversial practices that have been associated with it such as child labour and negative environmental impacts including deforestation.
Bunge: CEO Schroder to step down, takeover rumours reintensify
Bunge has announced Soren Schroder will step down as CEO of the struggling agricultural giant.
The move comes as Bunge seeks to placate investors upset by its performance. It will open up debate about whether the company is up to new takeover approaches. According to reports, Schroder’s departure will remove a hurdle to further talks with would-be buyers. ADM and a unit of Glencore held merger talks with Bunge in 2017 and earlier this year without reaching a deal. Bunge, which has struggled to navigate an agricultural downturn that has lasted for several years and more recently a trade war between the US and China, seems to be open to reengaging with both Glencore and ADM.
Cocoa Farmers to earn more from Fairtrade minimum price
Farmer organizations will be guaranteed a higher price for cocoa sold on Fairtrade terms, as part of Fairtrade’s strategy towards enabling living incomes.
For organic cocoa, the Fairtrade price will be USD 300 above the market price or the Fairtrade Minimum Price, whichever is higher at the time of sale. This is a change from the current minimum fixed price of USD 2,300 per tonne for Fairtrade certified organic cocoa.
World cocoa prices plunged by more than a third last year, and it is farmers who bear the brunt of price volatility. Fairtrade is the only certification scheme that has a mandatory minimum price, which acts as a safety net for farmers when market prices fall while allowing them to benefit when prices rise.
For reference, the current cocoa price set by the government of Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer, is USD 2,124 FOB. Fairtrade buyers pay farmer organizations the differential when the Fairtrade Minimum Price is higher.
Multivac Marking & Inspection celebrates an anniversary and expands its production capacity
Recently, Multivac Marking & Inspection inaugurated a new production and office building during a celebratory opening ceremony, and at the same time it celebrated 25 years as part of the Multivac Group.
The new building complex, which will house the new warehouse as well as manufacturing and pre-assembly departments over an area of 1,600 m2. Thanks to the completely renovated production hall areas, it will be possible to expand the production capacity, particularly in the sectors of conveyor belt labellers and inspection systems. The investment amounted to around EUR 3 m.
“In addition to this, there is another reason to celebrate: it is now 25 years that Multivac Marking & Inspection has been part of our group”, said Christian Traumann. “Our subsidiary is an extremely important part of the Multivac Group, and it is a leading supplier of innovative labelling, marking and inspection solutions in the market.”
There are currently around 200 staff in total employed at Multivac Marking & Inspection in Enger/Germany. Following completion of the new building, the overall operating area has increased to 7,400 m2. Around 900 m2 are taken up by the new assembly/production and logistics areas, while 300 m2 are dedicated to other manufacturing such as machining and welding. In addition to this, some 30 new office spaces were created on the top floor.
Barry Callebaut successfully closes transaction with Burton’s Biscuit Company
Barry Callebaut has successfully closed the transaction with Burton’s Biscuit Company in the UK.
Nielsen confectionery monitor: salty snacks the sole winner
Ten months into 2018, German retailers have fallen short of the confectionery sales from the previous year. According to Nielsen’s confectionery monitor figures, revenues sank through calendar week 44 by 1.3% to € 11.279 bn, and volume by 2.8% to 1.406 m tonnes (basis: food retailers + drug stores + impulse channels + gas station shops + department stores).
The sales slump of 4.1% to € 2.196 bn in sugar confectionery resulted primarily from the modest performance of fruit and wine gums (- 6.5%), liquorice (- 6.9%), fruit bonbons (- 9.5%) and chocolate kisses (- 9.1%). With revenues of € 1.450 bn, the baked goods category was performing at 3.4% less than the year prior. Cookies (- 11.0%), chocolate shortbread biscuits (- 11.1%), and bagged baked goods and waffle mixes (- 13.2%) lost ground in the double digits.
Developments in confectionery sales in individual distribution channels showed slight growth with small consumer markets (+ 2.1%) and drug stores (+ 1.1%). All other channels fell short of 2017 figures.
Theegarten-Pactec: 100th MCC wrapping machine sold
Six wrapping styles for a variety of products at maximum performance – this is what the continuous-motion high-performance MCC machine from Theegarten-Pactec stands for.
The MCC wraps products in six different folding styles: Double Twist, Top Twist, Side Twist, Vienna Fruit Fold, Foil Wrap and Protected Twist. Theegarten-Pactec thus offer confectionery manufacturers a wrapping machine that combines continuous high performance and flexibility. This unique combination has won over customers from around the globe. The first MCC was sold in 2008 to Polish praline manufacturer Mieszko, and the 100th machine is currently being delivered to the Middle East.
Barry Callebaut sources 44% of its ingredients sustainably
Barry Callebaut announced today that 44% of the cocoa and 44% of the other ingredients that the Group uses for its products are sustainably sourced.
Barry Callebaut published today its Forever Chocolate Progress Report 2017/18, listing the progress the Group has made towards its target of making sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025. Forever Chocolate is based on four ambitious targets, to be achieved by 2025, that address the largest sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain: 1. Lift more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty; 2. Eradicate child labour from its supply chain; 3. Become carbon and forest positive; 4. Have 100% sustainable ingredients in all its products.
