Cargill Cacao & Chocolade

Production of Cocoa & Chocolate

Cargill, an American family company, founded by W.W. Cargill, has existed for over 150 years. Globally, the company employs 155,000 people and is active in 70 countries. Cargill Cacao & Chocolade’s Deventer location is a B2B producer of cocoa components such as coatings and fillings. These products are transported in tankers to several customers on a daily basis.

In 2009, the Deventer location realised a major refurbishment, which caused the doubling of the production capacity. Full of passion for Cargill Cacao & Chocolade, Mira Pfeufer (Supply Chain Manager) and Freek Miggelbrink (Plantmanager) tell about the practice and production within this location.

Africa
The cocoa is mainly bought in African countries, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon. The first processing of the cocoa beans takes place in a Cargill plant in Zaandam. The product is shipped to Deventer for further processing.

Own laboratory
Unique for Deventer is that it has its own laboratory, where eight employees develop new recipes on a daily basis. The coatings and fillings composed by the team together with the client vary from white, milk and dark in versions with aroma, nuts, additives, etc. That way the customer can use the product as a topping for ice cream or filling for bonbons, for example. Two examples from a wide assortment of possibilities.

Sustainable
Cargill Cacao & Chocolade is working on doing business in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Globally, the Cargill Cacao & Chocolade division wants to have a 100% sustainable production, related to the UN goals for sustainability, in 2030. Cargill Cacao & Chocolade does this by providing corporations with affordable loans with which they can produce the cacao or buy trucks, for example. In addition, the farmers and their families are being educated, and the company helps them to cultivate and plant the crops, so their returns will improve. Investing in the families, building schools and coaching company management all contribute to sustainability and the development of a better and healthier life.

Cargill Cacao & Chocolade Deventer exports 92% of its production. The majority, 98%, within Europe. To Asia 1.5% and to the Middle East 1% is exported. The export of chocolate products to Eastern Europe is increasing.