HYDERABAD: Barry Callebaut, the Swiss-Belgian chocolate and cocoa giant, has inaugurated its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India. Located in the Orbit building, Hyderabad, the centre was launched by Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan on Thursday.
The world’s largest processor of cocoa, Barry Callebaut, employs around 13,000 people globally. Its new Hyderabad GCC joins three existing tech hubs in Malaysia, Poland and Mexico.
Speaking to TNIE, Ranjan said the company has onboarded 150 employees initially and plans to scale up to 500 in the coming months. Barry Callebaut had considered Mumbai and Bengaluru before finalising Hyderabad. “The city stood out for its talent pool and favourable sentiment among employees for relocation,” Ranjan said.
He also urged the company to explore manufacturing expansion in South India. “Their production facilities are currently in the west and north. With demand for chocolates growing in the south, setting up a unit here makes strategic sense,” he added.
Barry Callebaut also operates a Chocolate Academy in Mumbai, which trains professionals in chocolate-making. The academy’s head, present at the launch, confirmed plans to host skill development programmes, masterclasses and hackathons in Hyderabad, strengthening the city’s culinary and confectionery ecosystem, according to a press release.