For sure, hot chocolate belongs to most of us to the sweetest of childhood memories. Over the years, the good old cup of hot chocolate has proved its universal delight – however, new trends have evolved. Today, people of all ages enjoy chocolate drinks of exceptional tastes, flavors and aromas.

1828 – The birth of indulgence
On a bright morning in 1828, it was by a lucky coincidence that Coenraad Van Houten discovered that cocoa powder could be separated from cocoa mass and used to create a drink with a great chocolate flavor that was lighter, tastier and easier to dissolve in milk than chocolate itself. The chocolate drink was born and the success story of Van Houten as one of the greatest chocolate brands of all time was launched.

The most recent innovation in the history of the beverages brands assembled under the Barry Callebaut Group is the Van Houten Beverage™ Academy center situated in the South Sweden village of Kageröd. The new center of expertise will be an appetising home to the five globally enjoyed beverage brands, such as Van Houten, Caprimo, Bensdorp, Le Royal and Satro Quality Drinks. It will offer to Barry Callebaut’s customers a broad array of business-boosting services such as setting up branded concepts and strategies to further develop their beverages business.

Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group, notes: “Our Beverage business has recorded strong growth over the last years, benefiting from the trend towards out-of-home consumption.” With the acquisition of the commercial beverages vending activities of FrieslandCampina Kievit in November 2015 , Barry Callebaut has strengthened its range of beverages specialties products, which is fully in line with the company’s goal to drive ‘smart’ growth.

The new Van Houten Beverage™ Academy center’s main asset is that it offers customers the unique opportunity to create their own signature beverages: Based on inspirational creation sessions and the institution’s ground-breaking analysis software, interested parties return home with a truly one-of-a-kind beverage recipe with a taste profile that fully bears their signature. As an additional benefit the new academy offers insights into future trends and innovations.