Mr. Wonka: “Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted.”
Charlie Bucket: “What happened?”
Mr. Wonka: “He lived happily ever after.”
Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
We always associate chocolate with happiness because it releases Endorphins into our brains when we eat them. Having visited the chocolate room at Barry Callebaut Chocolate Factory in Senoko, it was like stepping into the movie set of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory except on a smaller scale – everything in the room is edible except the table and the coffee machine!
Barry Callebaut Group has been producing chocolate for more than 150 years and is the world’s leading supplier of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products. Barry Callebaut marks its 20th anniversary in Singapore this year and has produced more than 360 million kilograms of chocolate since its operation in 1997 at Barry Callebaut chocolate factory in Senoko.
Even though most of the chocolate produced in its factory in Senoko is exported to countries in Asia Pacific, including Australia and Japan, chocolate is still a big and growing business in Singapore. According to Euromonitor, the chocolate confectionery business in Singapore is estimated at S$169 million in 2016 and this is expected to increase to S$219 million in 2021.
Do you remember the white chocolate Merlion at Changi International Airport in 2005? It was made using Barry Callebaut Chocolate. Click HERE for more chocolate pictures.
Barry Callebaut took its chocolate to greater heights by sponsoring the world’s tallest chocolate fountain at 8.5m tall displayed in Marina Bay Sands Singapore at the Fantasia by Escriba.
The newly refreshed CHOCOLATE ACADEMY™ center in Singapore, first established In 1997, is a teaching and training center for artisans and professionals who want to improve their working skills in chocolate. Now, home bakers like us can also learn chocolate making in the beginner courses available.
With 17 years of experience in dessert making, Chef Seung Yun Lee moved from Seoul to helm the Chocolate Academy™ Center Singapore in 2015. She has worked at the renowned Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Australia, Javacity and Vanilla Bean Cake in Korea. She is also the winner at The World Chocolate Master Asia Pacific Selection in 2011, 3rd runner-up at The World Chocolate Masters Final 2011 in Paris and has also founded and operated a business called Pinch of Love (reputed for its made-to-order pralines and macarons).
Joining Chef Seung Yun as a team to run Chocolate Academy™ Center Singapore, Agus Supriyadi moved from Jakarta to Singapore in 2015. He brings with him 15 years of experience and professional stints at Dapur Cokelat, Chocomory Chocolate Shop and Christian Andrie in production planning and application solutions.
Recipes and demonstrations will be available in an app by Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy™ in future. For more information on the course, please visit chocolate-academy.com or Chocolate Academy Singapore Facebook Page.
That’s a really beautiful kitchen for classes in chocolate making!
It’s huge and so clean too!
Interesting post. Never knew about this academy and how much impact chocolate has on our economy. Thanks for sharing!
Ohhh interesting. Didn’t know they had such workshops. I always get chocolates from them because both my uncles work at Barry.
Wa shiok!
Wow, that’s a fancy kitchen. I wonder what the academy classes will be like.
This looks gorgeous! I love chocolate and is great to learn how to make! Yummy!
Hmmmm… Where have I been all these while? Never heard of this company before but yet I eat wayyy too much chocs!!! ????????????
Xoxo,
Jamie Chaw
(http://karmie080808.blogspot.sg/)
I would love to learn and admire these showcased kitchens. Don’t remember whether i have tried their chocolates before.