The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Box

Barry Callebaut, a world leader in chocolate and cocoa products, needed a logistics hub for the international distribution of its products. A tender was issued in 2018. Several years later, the doors opened to ‘The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Box’, the world’s largest chocolate warehouse. This complex building meets the highest sustainability requirements and was the first logistics building to receive a BREEAM Outstanding certificate.

Advanced technology for perfect temperature

‘The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Box’ includes not only a traditional 50,000 m² warehouse, but also a fully automated 41-meter high-rise warehouse with 10,000 m² of storage space. Temperature control is crucial for chocolate storage. Wannes van Rysselberghe, Logistics Manager at Barry Callebaut, emphasizes the importance: “Our HVAC system is therefore integrated with a smart BMS. This system not only controls the climate, but also the lighting and emergency lighting and provides central visualization of all operational parameters.”

Sustainable energy & cost savings

The intelligent BMS control from Jansen Smart Solutions ensures that all building technologies function optimally with a focus on sustainability. The system adjusts heating and cooling based on external factors such as outside temperature and sunlight. “The integration of different technologies in one building made this project challenging. The initial results were already promising, and a year after implementation, it turned out that the PV installation covers almost 50% of the energy demand. This led to a 10% saving on energy costs, and the investment was quickly recouped,” say Dries De Groote and Jo Deceuninck from Jansen Smart Solutions.

The user-friendly BMS is intuitive and provides a 3D view of warehouse performance. Problems can be quickly detected and resolved. All installations can be controlled remotely, ensuring operational continuity.