Hamburg/Germany, 12 June 2009 - Delfi Cocoa Europe (a subsidiary of Petra Foods Limited, one of the world's major manufacturers and suppliers of cocoa ingredients and branded consumer confectionery products) announced that its new cocoa processing plant in Hamburg, Germany has officially commenced full commercial production.
The 110,000 metric tonne facility is the conclusion of a two-year investment program amounting to Euro 65 million. The original factory in Hamburg-Veddel has been transformed, using proprietary Petra Foods know-how and technology, into a state-of-the- art cocoa facility capable of processing more than 110,000 tons of cocoa beans, to produce the finest cocoa ingredient products. From just over 50 employees when the investment program began, the Hamburg factory is currently employing almost 200 people.
Delfi Cocoa Europe now has the capability of producing a range of superior and sophisticated cocoa ingredients (i.e. cocoa butter, cocoa liquor and cocoa powders) that will meet the stringent and exacting demands of Petra Foods' international and Europe based customers. To cater to the wide-ranging requirements of its customers, the Hamburg plant is capable of producing whole bean roasted or nib alkalized cocoa products.
In addition, the current configuration of the Hamburg plant provides flexibility for the production of certified cocoa products, such as selected ICCO and Rain Forest Alliance certified products, as well as tailor made cocoa liquor from single origin cocoa beans, if required.
Mr Marc Donaldson, President and Head of Delfi Cocoa Europe, said "With our Hamburg plant now in full commercial production, we believe that Delfi Cocoa Europe will add significant value to all our customers and play a critical role in their cocoa ingredients supply chain."
Mr Marc Donaldson: "The Delfi Cocoa Group's innovative spirit, depth of experience and technical expertise in the cocoa industry are the core strengths that will drive the success of Delfi Cocoa Europe."
The factory has already been audited by Bureau Veritas in April 2009, and achieved the top certification for food processing, ISO 22000. Mr Donaldson further added, "For Hamburg, we have accumulated the efficient technology, the quality systems, and the procedures which are implemented in all other Delfi sites around the world."
The quality of its products and services has allowed the Delfi Cocoa Group to grow capacity-wise by an average 22 per cent every year since 2001 (compound annual growth rate).
ABOUT PETRA FOODS LIMITED
Listed on the SGX-ST since 5 November 2004, Petra Food Limited and its subsidiaries (“the Group”) is one of the world's major manufacturers and suppliers for premium cocoa ingredients, namely cocoa powder, cocoa butter and cocoa liquor. The Group also manufactures and/or distributes branded consumer products, primarily chocolate confectionery products, for which it is the market leader in Indonesia.
The Group has two business divisions, Cocoa Ingredients and Branded Consumer.
Cocoa Ingredients Division
The Group manufactures and sells cocoa ingredients, under the “Delfi” brand, to over 30 countries worldwide. Its major customers are international food and beverage companies such as Nestlé, Cadbury, the Mars Group, Arnott's, A.B. Foods, Barry Callebaut and the Meiji Group.
Branded Consumer Division
The Group manufactures and/or distributes branded consumer products that are sold in over 17 countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and China. Petra Foods has an established portfolio of chocolate confectionery brands which are household names in Indonesia including 10 master brands and 20 key sub brands and manufactures over 300 stock keeping units. Its flagship brands in Indonesia include “SilverQueen” and “Ceres” that were introduced in the 1950s and “Delfi” in the 1980s. In addition, the Group also distributes a well-known portfolio of third party brands in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Headquartered in Singapore, Petra Foods has seven cocoa processing facilities (located in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico and Germany), one cocoa butter facility (located in France), two chocolate confectionery production facilities (located in Indonesia and the Philippines) and a total staff strength of over 4,000.