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Barry Callebaut, the Swiss-Belgian chocolate manufacturer, recently opened its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad, India. The new facility, located in the Orbit building, expands Barry Callebaut’s operational footprint in Asia, joining its global tech hubs in Malaysia, Poland, and Mexico. 

This indicates the company’s continued focus on investing in the Indian chocolate and cocoa market since the opening of its first Chocolate centre in Mumbai in 2007. Earlier, the company established a chocolate and compound factory in the Ghiloth industrial area, in Neemrana, Delhi. 

So far, the company has operated two factories in Baramati, producing high-quality chocolate and compound. This is in line with Barry Callebaut’s plans to grow its team and expand manufacturing in South India to meet rising chocolate demand. 

Barry Callebaut initially onboarded 150 employees at the Hyderabad GCC and aims to scale up to 500 in the coming months. The attraction of cities like Hyderabad for GCCs is further highlighted by recent trends. A Zinnov-Nasscom report indicates that mid-market GCCs are taking a more strategic approach, with a 1.3X higher focus on transformation-led work. These GCCs are increasingly anchoring critical roles in India especially in product management where nearly half of global talent now sits. This shift isn’t just about lower costs; it’s fundamentally about India’s talent pool, speed of innovation, and agility.

The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Mumbai, known for training chocolate-making professionals, will also extend its influence to Hyderabad. Plans include hosting skill development programmes, masterclasses, and hackathons, which will enrich Hyderabad’s culinary ecosystem. This integration of training and development further cements India’s role not just as an operational base, but as a centre for innovation and skill enhancement within the global food industry.