The facility was inaugurated by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Peter Boone, the new CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group.
With an initial annual production capacity of over 50,000 tonnes of chocolate, the Group said the project represents a €55M ($63.58m) investment and the factory will serve as a regional hub for the rapidly growing chocolate markets of south eastern Europe.
“Novi Sad is the perfect location for us. I am pleased with the successful start and am confident that from Novi Sad we can address the rapidly growing chocolate markets of south eastern Europe and become the solution provider of choice for customers in the region,” said Peter Boone, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group.
Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, said at the innaguartion: “It is important for us now to additionally invest in technical universities in Novi Sad, Vojvodina and in the north of Serbia, and to do everything possible to make people understand that when they finish their schools, that they can get a really good job. We are thankful to Barry Callebaut for hiring such a highly skilled workforce.“