Barry Callebaut: sales revenues fall

Despite a rise in sales volumes, Swiss chocolate ingredients supplier Barry Callebaut reports a dip in sales revenue as lower prices for cocoa beans shave away gains, but overall the firm sees a rise in net profit to CHF101.3m (EUR65.4m) for the first half of the business year 2004/2005.
Sales volumes were up over 6%, but sales revenues fell 1.5% to CHF 2.16m (EUR1.39 bn), from CHF 2.19 billion for the period a year earlier.
Operating profit before amortisation rose from CHF165.7m to CHF165.8, Net profit was up 21%, on a like-for-like basis net profit rose by 7.5 per cent.
“We are very pleased with Barry Callebaut’s organic volume growth of more than twice the global chocolate markets. In the remainder of the current fiscal year we will continue to put special emphasis on the turnaround of our European consumer business,” said Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Barry Callebaut.