Cocoa: strategic partnership between Malaysian coffee grinder GCB and the Ivorian Café Cacao Council

2024-10-22 22:05:00

It is an alliance that does not go unnoticed by the world’s leading cocoa producer: the Malaysian bean mill GCB has just acquired 25% of the shares of the Transcao company, owned by the Café Cacao Council (CCC), the regulatory body of the Coast of Ivory.

Guan Chong Cocoa Berhad (CGB), the world’s fourth largest bean mill – behind Barry Callebaut, Olam and Cargill – wasted no time. Just arrived Ivory Coastthe Malaysian has started negotiations with Transcao, the company owned by Conseil Café Cacao (CCC). And it was the CCC itself that announced the outcome of these long months of discussions, that is, an agreement for the sale of 25% of the shares of the Ivorian oil mill.

The CCC explains that it has always been open to a partnership, but assures that it has not specifically sought to ally itself with Guan Chong Berhad. A source within the regulatory body clarifies that the Malaysian proposal is simply the first to be acceptable.

Commercial and technical alliance

The completed operation constitutes, according to several observers, a good “coup d’état” for Guan Chong Berhad. In other words, the group has achieved in a short time what other majors established in Côte d’Ivoire for longer have failed to do.

Thanks to the skills of the Malaysian group, Transcao will be able to expand the range of semi-finished products that leave its factories, and above all reach other customers. “ We signed this participation agreement because we want to have a foot in Asia » explained the head of the Café Cacao Council, confirming Transcao’s desire to acquire an international dimension.

The CCC, a precious partner

With this operation GCB confirms its expansion strategy. Born in Malaysia, the group now has four milling plants – three in Asia and one in Ivory Coast – with a capacity of 330,000 tonnes and several factories producing industrial chocolate in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Malaysian mill which processes 60,000 tonnes of beans in its San Pedro plant inaugurated in 2023 and which aims to process double that amount by 2025, acquires, thanks to its new Ivorian partner, the certainty of having even more volumes to market.

« But what is perhaps even more important is simply being a partner with the regulatory body of the world’s leading manufacturer. » explains an expert in the sector, who sees here, at the very least, the promise for the Asian grinder of never running out of beans.

Read alsoCocoa prices: Cameroon and Ghana set the tone for the market