By Cargill

The new Dutch Dark cocoa powders range is one of the results of a substantial investment by Cargill’s cocoa & chocolate business in its Wormer facility in the Netherlands – home of the renowned Gerkens® cocoa powders.

The Dutch Dark range of powders uniquely combines an intense dark colour with a smooth chocolaty taste and is available in a variety of high and low fat versions. The range provides a real opportunity to innovate and develop new recipes in different applications.

An example of the range is high fat Gerkens® Holland DS150 with a premium dark colour, which is particularly suited for use in luxurious desserts and ice cream.

The smooth taste of Dutch Dark powders also means there is no need to use sugar to mask the bitterness that can be associated with dark powders, which is a great benefit for those wishing to develop recipes with less sugar.

The expansion of the company’s Wormer facility, which is now nearing completion, has been part of the Dutch Dark development story. “Work to expand our Wormer plant began in 2009, with the creation of new laboratory facilities, which further strengthen our innovation capabilities, at the centre of the project,” explains Harold Poelma, Managing Director of Cocoa, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate.

These new laboratory facilities consist of a new microbiological and technical lab dedicated to product and quality control, and an application lab to provide product development and recipe formulation expertise for customers.

Cargill’s expert taste panel has also been expanded to focus on cocoa liquor and powder, and is constantly looking to optimise products and processes and encourage innovation.

“The result of all these efforts will be a great new Centre of Expertise for cocoa,” said Poelma.

The launch of the Dutch Dark range comes alongside a large increase in butter and powder production capacity at the Wormer plant. Further development of Dutch Dark powders is planned, which will expand the availability of Cargill’s premium Gerkens® powder range for customers.

“Our Dutch Dark powders, and the expanded facilities at our Wormer plant, are a vote of confidence for the future from Cargill’s cocoa & chocolate business. We are sure our Dutch Dark powder range will be welcomed by customers, along with our excellent new facilities and that, even more than in the past, we can be  true partners with our customers in innovation and development,” concludes Poelma.

About Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate:

Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate offers the food industry a wide range of both standard and customised cocoa and chocolate ingredients to be used in delicious bakery, confectionery, and dairy applications all over the world. Our product range includes high quality Gerkens® cocoa powders, chocolate including Wilbur®, Peter’s® and Veliche®, coatings, fillings, cocoa liquors and cocoa butters. With years of experience in technical food expertise Cargill supports its customers in new recipes and new product development.

Our facilities in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are fully dedicated to produce in accordance with the highest food safety standards.

To secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans we have our own cocoa bean sourcing operations for buying, handling and/or exporting of cocoa beans in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Vietnam. Presence in all the leading producing countries allows Cargill to oversee the supply chain from beans at origin to cocoa and chocolate products on our customers’ doorstep. In addition, extensive market research and analysis proves to be a source of valuable information to our customers.

For more information visit: for EMEA www.cargillcocoachocolate.com and for North America www.cargill.com/food/cocoachocolate

About Cargill:

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.  Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 142,000 people in 66 countries.  Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.  For more information, visit www.cargill.com.

SOURCE: Cargill

+44 1932 861 174

www.cargill.com/food/cocoachocolate