Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business is to double capacity at its Belgian chocolate production facility, following a €35m (£29.55m) investment.

The work to the site in Mouscron will take place over the next two years, in order to meet growing demand for chocolate in bakery, confectionery, dairy and artisanal applications across Europe.

The new investment will increase capacity of both liquid dark or milk chocolate, and solid chocolate drops and chunks. The facility will source raw materials like cocoa butter from Cargill’s integrated cocoa processing plants in The Netherlands and in France, said the firm.

Jos de Loor, president, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, said: “With this investment, Cargill demonstrates its commitment to providing our customers with a broader and more bespoke service and enlarged range of chocolate recipes to meet their individual needs.

“The extension of our state-of-the-art facility in Mouscron along with our food ingredients expertise will support our cocoa and chocolate growth strategy.”

The new production lines are due to be operational by summer 2014.