Barry Callebaut, KLK Selbourne win Cocoa Industry Award

December 6, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland – Malaysian cocoa plantation owner KLK Selbourne Estate won this year's Cocoa Industry Award for the best plantation in Malaysia after partnering up with Barry Callebaut for a joint agronomy research program.

December 6, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland – Malaysian cocoa plantation owner
KLK Selbourne Estate won this year's Cocoa Industry Award for the best
plantation in Malaysia after partnering up with Barry Callebaut for a
joint agronomy research program.

The award, handed out by the Malaysian Cocoa Board, evaluated plantations on physical quality of the estate, agronomic practices, management, technology usage and welfare.

At the awarded plantation, Barry Callebaut contributed the research and development facility (a laboratory for fermentation research and a laboratory for agronomy research), the cocoa fermentation unit, as well as the sun and artificial drying unit.

Barry Callebaut initiated the research program with KLK Selborne Estate in collaboration with Switzerland's Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, the Bolivian consultancy ECOTOP, and the University of Gent in Belgium. The research program focuses on developing new agronomy techniques aimed at increasing plantation yields and enhancing cocoa bean quality while managing cocoa plantations in a sustainable manner in order to ensure their future productivity.

The results of this multi-year trial will subsequently be used to help develop new strategies for increasing cocoa production.