World's largest chocolate distribution centre opens in Lokeren
Good news for chocolate lovers in no fewer than 140 countries. Barry Callebaut will be able to distribute this delicacy even faster from the Chocolate Box in Lokeren (East Flanders).
The new warehouse is 41 m high and covers the equivalent of 12 football pitches like a huge box of chocolates. Each year, 75 million kg of packaged chocolate products will arrive on 125,000 pallets from the Callebaut factories in Wieze and Halle, which produce around 500,000 tonnes of chocolate. The temperature is a constant 18°C.
The location was not chosen at random. Lokeren is situated in the middle of the triangle formed by the two above-mentioned municipalities and the port of Antwerp, just seven minutes from a major motorway. This project, which cost around 100 million euros, means that Barry Callebaut can guarantee a more rational supply for its foreign customers. 65% of them are located within a radius of 500 km of Lokeren and receive their chocolate quickly and super fresh by truck; transport is by ship for distant destinations.
Not only is the Chocolate Box the largest chocolate distribution centre, it is also the first in Benelux to be awarded the BREEAM Outstanding certificate, the highest possible rating for a sustainable building. It meets its own energy needs with solar panels, heat is recovered and even the exterior lighting can be controlled so as not to scare off any bats that might be flying around the building.
It all offers lasting pleasure for chocolate lovers around the world.