Barry Callebaut, a major supplier of chocolate to the baking and confectionery industry, announced last week that sales volumes rose 10.6% for the three months ending November 30, 2007.

Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Barry Callebaut, said the company had passed on the costs of higher raw materials to customers and enjoyed favourable exchange rates, primarily the appreciation of the euro against the company’s reporting currency, the Swiss franc.

The Zurich-based company is present in 23 countries, operates more than 30 production facilities and employs 8,000 people.