Cargill has now completed the acquisition of ADM's global chocolate business for an enterprise value of $440m. The acquisition underlines Cargill's commitment to meeting customer needs and constitutes a milestone for its chocolate growth strategy, strengthening its position as a leading player in the cocoa and chocolate industry.

The combined business provides Cargill with enhanced capabilities and product ranges to deliver a broad portfolio of products that support the long-term needs of existing and new customers. Cargill's cocoa and chocolate business now operates globally with 27 sites in 11 countries with over 3,000 employees and serves customer needs worldwide with a distinctive range of innovative and high quality cocoa and chocolate products, tailor-made for confectionery, bakery, dairy, and other applications.

Addressing the European Commission's conditional clearance, Cargill has agreed to divest ADM's industrial chocolate production facility in Mannheim, Germany. The facility is kept as a separate entity with its own interim management until transferred to a prospective buyer. Chocolate production onsite and service to customers continues normally.

"Along with our access to the global cocoa supply chain and an enhanced technology base, we will be able to improve the delivery of new applications to our customers. We are seriously committed to help our customers grow and are excited to begin our new journey," says Jos de Loor, president of Cargill's cocoa and chocolate business EMEA and Asia.

"Bringing together the talents and expertise of our two organizations will enable us to have a broader market reach and an even better product and service capability," comments Bryan Wurscher, president Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate North America. "By understanding and responding to customers' needs we will be able to offer them distinctive value, which in turn will help create growth opportunities for our customers and for our business, as we increase the scale and focus of our operations."