KUALA LUMPUR: Guan Chong Bhd has invested £34 million to establish an industrial chocolate factory with 16,000 tonnes of annual capacity to capitalise on the demand for chocolate in the United Kingdom.
Guan Chong managing director and chief executive officer Brandon Tay Hoe Lian said the UK is one of the largest chocolate-consuming countries in Europe with an average consumption of 8.1kg per capita.
"By positioning ourselves in the UK, we hope to be a formidable chocolate manufacturer thereby capitalising on the strong demand for chocolate.
"With the current installation of machinery, the facility still has additional space for us to possibly increase the capacity. For now, we will focus on fine-tuning the facility and evaluate our prospects for future growth," he said in a statement today.
Based on the Food and Drink Federation of the UK data, the country imported £2.2 billion worth of chocolate products from the European Union in 2022, representing a 28.1 per cent increase compared to £1.7 billion in previous year.
Guan Chong recently started its operations of the industrial chocolate factory in the UK as well as Europe.
"With the current installation of machinery, the facility still has additional space for us to possibly increase the capacity. For now, we will focus on fine-tuning the facility and evaluate our prospects for future growth," Tay said.
Numerous industrial chocolate products including chips, chunks, buttons, curls and shavings will be produced at the facility.
Sat on over 17 acres of land and 300,000 square feet of built-up area, the new facility in Suffolk offers technical support and timely local deliveries of liquid and solid products to clients from Europe, including chocolate makers.
Guan Chong said future expansion plans for the UK industrial chocolate facility will include value-added capabilities in cocoa liquor melting, cocoa butter melting and cocoa cake grinding.
The company has another industrial chocolate factory under SCHOKINAG, its German subsidiary, with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes annually that raises group production capacity to 116,000 tonnes annually.