World’s Finest Chocolate leasing part of plant to chocolate giant

World’s Finest Chocolate is leasing part of its Southwest Side factory to Swiss chocolate giant The Barry Callebaut Group, which will invest $5.7 million in the plant, the companies announced Thursday.

Under the deal, World’s Finest will continue making its chocolate products at the plant at 4801 S. Lawndale Ave., but Barry Callebaut Group will acquire its industrial liquid chocolate manufacturing equipment and supply it liquid chocolate under a long-term supply agreement. Deliveries will begin March 1.

World’s Finest, which employs 325 people, said all but about 10 will remain its employees. Barry Callebaut Group will offer jobs to those 10 workers, the company said.

Barry Callebaut Group, with $6.5 billion in annual sales, is the world’s largest chocolate and cocoa company. It runs more than 50 production facilities globally and Barry Callebaut USA LLC has its headquarters in Chicago.

Family-owned and operated World’s Finest makes fundraising products and personalized chocolate gifts. It has helped youth and adult organizations raise more than $3.5 billion, according to the company.

“Our long-term agreement with the Barry Callebaut Group guarantees the supply of our 75-year-old family recipe continuing to be made in our facility from ‘bean-to-bar’,” World’s Finest CEO Edmond Opler said in a statement. “This partnership allows us to focus our energies on continued growth, manufacturing our finished goods and servicing our many customers.”

Barry Callebaut Group said the purchase will allow it to capitalize on growth opportunities with other customers in the region. The acquisition also strengthens its manufacturing footprint in North America, where it operates 11 factories, the company said.

“We feel much honored to have been selected by World’s Finest Chocolate as their partner of choice,” Dave Johnson, CEO and president of Callebaut’s operations in the Americas, said in a statement. “This long-term agreement is another important step to strengthen our services for customers in the fast-growing Midwest region of the United States. It also underscores our position as the preferred partner for outsourcing, one of our key growth drivers.”