Barry Callebaut and Kraft are stepping out together (A green shoe of pure chocolate from the 2009 Paris Chocolate Salon. E Wallace)
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Swiss company Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest supplier of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, has signed a long-term agreement with USA-based Kraft Foods to become the American company’s global cocoa and industrial chocolate supplier.
Kraft is the world’s second-largest food company after Nestle, which is based in Vevey, Switzerland. The agreement, which includes some of the Cadbury liquid chocolate deliveries under a current Kraft outsourcing agreement, is expected to more than double Barry Callebaut’s existing business with Kraft Foods.
Vevey, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The ongoing guessing game about who will own Cadbury is expected to end Wednesday 6 January when Kraft unveils shareholder response to its hostile takeover bid for Cadbury, but Nestlé won’t be one of the owners. The Swiss-based Nestlé says it is not bidding on Cadbury, ending speculation that it would fight Kraft for the UK-based Cadbury sweets company. Nestlé has instead offered to buy Kraft’s pizza division, the leader in the US and Canada in the frozen pizza market.
Nestlé’s $3.7 billion offer for the pizza business is allowing Kraft to increase its cash offer for Cadbury.
The pizza deal covers a number of brands, including DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack’s and Delissio.
