Cargill modernizes and expands cocoa in Ilhéus unit

The American multinational Cargill is investing approximately $ 10 million to modernize and expand into 25% cocoa-pressing capacity in its unit in Ilhéus, Bahia.
Pressing capacity will be 65 thousand to 80 thousand tons per year, according to Miguel Sieh, Director of business unit Cargill cocoa and Chocolate. The expansion project has already begun and completion is scheduled for the beginning of next year.
The pressing is a later step to almond and milling results in the separation of the greasy part (butter) and solid (powder) portion of a folder, the liquor, which is obtained in the first product processing (grinding). The butter is used for manufacturing of chocolate and powder serves for the production of various food items, including ice cream, chocolate, dairy drinks and desserts.
Thus, the nominal processing capacity of the company's unit of about 85 thousand tons, will not increase. This ability is greater than the pressing because part of the product obtained with the grind-the liquor-can be also used in the manufacture of chocolate without going through pressing.
The unit in Ilhéus, inaugurated in 1980, when Brazil was the second largest cocoa producer in the world (in 2011/12 drew with Nigeria in fourth position), was the first of Cargill in the segment and today is, individually, Latin America's largest in processing power, according to Sieh.
In addition to pressing volume enlargement, the multinational will also inaugurate a new production platform, with more efficient equipment technology that reduces maintenance and ensures greater reliability in the process.
The investment in pressing will eventually serve to the growth of the consumer market of chocolates and cocoa derivatives. According to the Brazilian Association of Chocolates, cocoa, peanuts, hard candies and derivatives (Abicab), the per capita consumption of chocolate in the country is 2.2 pounds per year compared with 1.65 pound three years ago. The increase, according to Abicab, was motivated by the growth of incomes of the population, which included the product in the shopping basket.
The Brazil ground last year, 235.76 million tons of cocoa, 2.89% increase on 2011, according to the Association of Processing Industries of Cocoa (AIPC). Sieh, who also presides the organisation since July, says that the almond flour tends to grow this year between 3% and 5% for 2012.
The Brazilian production of the raw material is still insufficient to meet the demand of the industries in the country, but many companies are optimistic with the growth of the national crop. The harvest reached 220 thousand tons in the 2011/12 season (between October 2011 and September last year), the largest of the last 18 years, according to the TH. consulting and market studies.
In addition to the processing plant in Ilhéus, Cargill also has an industrial chocolate factory in Porto Ferreira (State of São Paulo), opened five years ago. With a production capacity of 10 thousand tons per year, the industry has received initial investments to the tune of $ 7 million.
And, eyeing the prospect of increased demand for chocolate in Asia, the company announced contributions of $ 100 million for setting up a factory in Indonesia, scheduled to start production in 2014. The drive marks the entrance of Cargill cocoa processing in the Asian continent. In North and South America, Europe and Africa, the existing capacity sum 700 thousand tons per year. This total is expected to grow at 10% to 15% with the new industry.