Garudafood subsidiary to distribute Van Houten Professional products in Indonesia

Barry Callebaut Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, announced today the appointment of PT Sinarniaga Sejahtera (SNS), a subsidiary of PT Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk, one of the largest food and beverage companies in Indonesia, as its distributor for Van Houten Professional sustainable compound chocolate products in Indonesia. 

Bringing Van Houten Professional to Indonesia 

Under the terms of the agreement, Barry Callebaut will partner with SNS to bring the compound range of the Van Houten Professional brand to professional users of chocolate and compound in the foodservice market in Indonesia. This includes artisan and chain bakeries, cafes, restaurants, cash-and-carries and the fast-growing home baking segment. The implementation of this agreement will start immediately and these products will be commercially available in the market around March this year. The parties agreed not to disclose any further terms of the agreement. 

(Photo courtesy: Barry Callebaut)

Paulus Tedjosutikno, Director of Garudafood said, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Barry Callebaut on the distribution of the Van Houten Professional compound chocolate products. By leveraging our foodservice channel, we are confident to be a notable player in the growing consumption of chocolate products in Indonesia.” 

This agreement is an extension of the strategic relationship between Barry Callebaut and Garudafood which was first established in 2015 and currently focuses on an industrial supply of compound chocolate through two chocolate factories in Indonesia located in Gresik, East Java and Rancaekek, West Java. 

With Garudafood’s strong sales and distribution capabilities to various channels and Barry  Callebaut’s proven market leadership with well-known chocolate brands for the business-to-business category, the two companies are committed to further growth in the compound chocolate market in Indonesia. 

“Van Houten Professional is Barry Callebaut’s European heritage brand that has already  established a leadership presence in Asia. Partnering with Garudafood will once again allow us to team up with a leader in one of the most vibrant economies in Asia Pacific and gain a strategic foothold in Indonesia which continues to offer growth even in these unprecedented times,” said Shuo-yen Choo, Managing Director Chocolate Indonesia and Vice President for Food Manufacturing in Southeast Asia for Barry Callebaut. 

Giving back to the Cocoa farmers in Indonesia through the Cocoa Horizons program 

Rooted in a European legacy of more than 190 years, the Van Houten Professional brand promises to be a game changer, with a full range of chocolate and compound products that has been adapted to the technical needs of the Asian chocolatier. Besides an emphasis on quality, taste and convenience, all Van Houten Professional products have 100% sustainably-sourced cocoa via the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Barry Callebaut to scale impact in cocoa growing communities. 

“We look forward to generating a new level of expertise and creativity amongst the artisans but more importantly, we hope to move the needle on sustainability in Indonesia. Van Houten Professional will be the first mass market brand in Indonesia to offer sustainably sourced cocoa under the “Cocoa Horizons” program and will improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities in areas such as Sulawesi,” continued Shuo-yen Choo.

Read the press release in Indonesian