French chocolate manufacturer CEMOI is planning to launch a factory in Ivory Coast, targeting the local and West African market, a company official said.
CEMOI senior employee in Ivory Coast was quoted by Reuters as saying: "I can confirm that the factory will be ready in May and that we will produce and sell chocolate bars and spreadable products for the local and regional market."
Ivory Coast, which is the largest cocoa producing country in the world, supplies more than a third of the world's cocoa.
According to UN's Food & Agriculture Organisation, its cocoa exports for the global chocolate market were worth around $2.5bn in 2010.
However, the availability of shop-ready chocolate is less in this African country and locals mostly eat expensive imported chocolate, the new agency said.
In Ivory Coast, CEMOI started marketing some of its chocolate products in 2013.
It is estimated that the French firm acquires around 145,000t of cocoa beans every year and offers semi-finished chocolate products.
In February this year, CEMOI announced that it would invest €20m across three years through a programme called Transparence to ensure its annual cocoa volumes are fully traceable.
The company said it would work with 60,000 farmers across Ivory Coast, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, Confectionary News said.
Image: CEMOI will produce chocolate bars and spreadable products in the new factory in Ivory Coast. Photo: courtesy of patrisyu/ freedigitalphotos.net
