Singapore - The world's biggest chocolate maker plans to introduce its cancer-fighting variety in Europe, the United States and Japan on Monday and in Singapore within half a year, Swiss company Barry Callebaut said in a published report on Thursday.
The company, which produces more than 38 percent of the world's industrial chocolate products, has discovered a technique to retain cancer-fighting anti-oxidants which are usually destroyed during cocoa fermentation, The Business Times said.
It has set its sights on making Singapore the "chocolate capital of Asia", Ben De Schryver, financial controller of the company's Asia-Pacific operations, was quoted as saying.
"Chocolates are associated with Belgium and Switzerland," he said. "In Asia, we want consumers to associate chocolate with Singapore" he noted in announcing a multimillion-dollar white-chocolate line here to meet the requirements of customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
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| 'We want consumers to associate chocolate with Singapore' |
The company supplies industrial chocolate to hotel patisseries and companies such as Unilever, Nestle and Kellogg's, among other big names.
From Singapore it exports to 27 countries including Australia and China, its top two markets.
"It is more efficient and cost effective to freight out products to the West Coast of the United States from here, rather than ship them across the North American seaboard," said Marc Donaldson, managing director for the Asia-Pacific region.
With sales in Asia growing by 35 percent in 2004 and demand in China forecast to grow by more than 30 percent this year, Donaldson said Asia is a key growth area. - Sapa-dpa
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