Barry Callebaut has opened its first Chocolate Academy centre in South America, the 15th centre worldwide. Located at Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, the Chocolate Academy centre is described as a state-of-the-art teaching and training facility for culinary professionals at all levels interested in strengthening their skills in working with chocolate and learning about new techniques, trends and recipes dedicated to the Brazilian market.

The centre's offerings include a wide range of training courses and demonstrations for customers in all sectors: chocolatiers, chefs, pastry, bakery and other chocolate experts as well as culinary professionals working in hotels, restaurants and the catering business.

The Chocolate Academy centre will showcase Barry Callebaut's Global Gourmet chocolate brands Callebaut and Cacao Barry, as well as the company's local brand Sicao, and will encourage the exchange of technical expertise in chocolate between professionals.

"Our new Chocolate Academy centre - the first in South America - will offer a wide range of courses to cover all demands - for beginners up to the experienced chef,” said Bertrand Busquet, French chef and technical advisor at the new Brazilian chocolate training centre. “Many Brazilian chocolate experts travel to Europe and North America to take courses. Now they can find a high-level place around the corner, here in Brazil."

Barry Callebaut's new Chocolate Academy centre occupies 473 square metres at the company's Brazilian headquarters. The training centre features a professional kitchen with individual marble countertops for the chocolate pre-crystallisation and all the equipment and utensils one would find in the world's best schools, according to the company.

Besides technical advisor Bertrand Busquet, international chefs and teachers from abroad will share their knowledge and techniques at the new centre in São Paulo. The first of such international guests will be the award-winning chef Joseph Ribé, technical advisor at Barry Callebaut's Chocolate Academy centre in Gurb, Spain. He will conduct a confectionery and pastry course from July 23 to 25, 2013.

For Bertrand Remy, the general manager of Barry Callebaut in Brazil, the new Chocolate Academy centre is an important element in further strengthening the company's footprint in Brazil.

"We aim to promote a fruitful exchange between our Technical Advisors and Brazilian brand Ambassadors and the local professionals from all food service specialties,” he said. “We will create new recipes with and for the Brazilians and discover innovative ways of using chocolate. Brazil offers a fantastic, unique opportunity, for we have a complete chain here, from the cocoa bean to the chocolate, and the Brazilian people are always eager to embrace something new."

The new Chocolate Academy centre in São Paulo will be integrated into the network of Barry Callebaut's 14 other training centres around the world. About 26,000 professionals and artisans receive training at these Chocolate Academy centres every year.