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Barry Callebaut opens Tokyo Chocolate Academy

22 Jun 2015

Barry Callebaut has announced the opening of its first Chocolate Academy centre in Tokyo, Japan – its 19th training centre in the world and its fourth in the Asia Pacific region, after Mumbai (India), Shanghai (China) and Singapore. “Japan is Asia’s largest consumer market for chocolate confectionery and it is highly recognised for chocolate innovation,” […]

Barry Callebaut opens Tokyo Chocolate Academy

flag-japan-nippon-national-white-rectangular-large-red-disk-representing-sun-center-35134105Barry Callebaut has announced the opening of its first Chocolate Academy centre in Tokyo, Japan – its 19th training centre in the world and its fourth in the Asia Pacific region, after Mumbai (India), Shanghai (China) and Singapore.

“Japan is Asia’s largest consumer market for chocolate confectionery and it is highly recognised for chocolate innovation,” said Mikael Neglen, President, Chocolate Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut. “The new Chocolate Academy centre in Tokyo brings us even closer to our regional Gourmet customers and will enable the Barry Callebaut Group to be in a better position to capitalise on growth opportunities in the region. It also reaffirms our commitment to the Japanese market place and its highly skilled professional chocolatiers and other users of chocolate.”

“The opening of Barry Callebaut’s 19th Chocolate Academy centre in Tokyo is a symbolic move in promoting our position as a leader in the gourmet chocolate sector in the region,” said Pascale Meulemeester, Vice-President Global Gourmet Brand Marketing, Barry Callebaut. “The new centre will offer chefs world-class support and enable them to harness their skills to bring the best innovations in chocolate.”

The centre’s offerings include a wide range of workshops, courses and demonstrations for professional customers in all sectors: chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers and other chocolate experts as well as culinary professionals working in hotels, restaurants and the catering business. They will, said the company, be able to benefit from the modern kitchen and utensils that the academy is equipped with, to perfect their expertise in chocolate under the guidance of Barry Callebaut’s specially-trained chefs and the elite Chocolate Ambassadors Club.

At the official inauguration event, Barry Callebaut also announced the appointment of Kohei Ogata as the head of the new training centre and Callebaut chef. He is most recognised for his work as the Chef Pâtissier in Japan for Henri Le Roux. Andres Lara, Cacao Barry Regional Chef Asia Pacific, will also be based in the Chocolate Academy centre in Tokyo.

The Japanese are said to be the biggest per capita consumers of chocolate in Asia Pacific with an average of 1.9 kg per annum.