In 1996 the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French chocolate company Cacao Barry joined forces, creating a new company called Barry Callebaut. Both Cacao Barry and Callebaut were widely recognized in the food industry as reliable suppliers of high-quality products and as dependable business partners for thousands of whole­sale and retail specialists in the chocolate industry.

The merger combined Cacao Barry’s know-how in procurement and initial processing of cocoa beans with Calle­baut’s extensive experience in producing and marketing chocolate products..