Premium Australian chocolate maker Haigh’s Chocolates has opened a new $15 million factory in Adelaide that it says could help propel it into new markets.
The new plant in Adelaide suburb Mile End gives Haigh’s the ability to almost triple production with the addition of a second shift.
Chief executive Alister Haigh said the plant was the largest cocoa bean processing facility in Australia and one of the most advanced factories of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
“All the big manufacturers bring in semi-processed cocoa beans, whereas we import all the cocoa beans,” he said at the official opening yesterday.
The factory allows Haigh’s to control the process from start to finish – from raw cocoa bean to a finished product ready to be sent out from its distribution centre across the road, he said.
“Cocoa beans are cleaned, roasted, shelled, ground and heated into liquid before being blended with milk and sugar. The new factory has the capacity to produce up to eight different types of chocolate at the same time.”
Swiss equipment maker Buhler, which supplied much of the specialised equipment, described the new facility as one of the most complex chocolate lines ever produced, due to Haigh's special requirements.
“We wanted the ability to put six different types of bean into the one batch and they weren’t aware of any other company in the world that wanted to do that,” Haigh said.
He says the new plant is the company's biggest investment in its 102-year history, and the first commercial chocolate was produced at the new factory in mid-February.
The additional production capacity will enable continued growth in Australia, and also potentially overseas, according to Haigh.
“We have seen increased demand across the Eastern seaboard as well as online, meaning continued growth for the Haigh’s business.
“We are also looking at expanding to overseas markets due to interest abroad.”
Haigh’s Chocolates was founded in 1915, and its former MD John Haigh spent six months working for Lindt in Switzerland in the 1950s to refine his skills as a chocolatier.
In additon to manufacturing, Haigh’s Chocolates operates 17 stores in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
