Cargill has invested around €56 million (£48.35M) into its edible oils, gourmet chocolate and R&I capabilities.
The move sees it strengthening its Belgium’s roots, with funds to be pumped into expanding both its Izegem edible oils bottling site and Mouscron gourmet chocolate facility. It has also announced a new extrusion pilot plant at its Vilvoorde Innovation Center.
The aim is to position Belgium as a strategic European food innovation and manufacturing hub and help support growing demand for edible oils, premium chocolate products and customer-led innovation.
Over the last 12 months, Cargill has transformed its largest edible oil bottling facility in Europe.
With a backing of €21 million, it has doubled the capacity of its Izegem facility and developed automation and innovation as it looks to improve efficiency and long-term supply reliability.
The expansion also includes two new dedicated foodservice production lines enabling flexible production and reinforcing its capabilities in serving foodservice customers.
In Mouscron, linked to its current gourmet chocolate production site, Cargill’s €30 million investment adds 10,500 sqm of additional production space. The expansion strengthens the ingredient firm’s ability to help gourmet chocolate customers respond to seasonal demand, develop more tailored products and shorten lead times.
The expanded site will produce Cargill’s premium couverture chocolate range Veliche and support artisanal foodservice customers, restaurants and food manufacturers.
The remaining €5.4 million has been injected into a new extrusion pilot plant at its Innovation Center in Vilvoorde. The facility supports rapid prototyping, ingredient functionality testing and customer collaboration across food, feed and pet food applications, and builds on the previously announced €45 million investment into its Food Innovation Center there. Together, these investments strengthen Cargill’s broader European R&D network.
“Belgium is a key strategic hub for Cargill in Europe, thanks to its strong food industry, close customer connectivity, and advanced logistics infrastructure that enable efficient supply across Western Europe,” said Geert Maesmans, vice president of R&D for Cargill’s Food business in EMEA and Cargill’s Belgium country lead.
“These investments not only strengthen our local food R&D and production capabilities but allow us to continue to grow with our customers and provide them with more diverse and innovative food solutions across Belgium and the EMEA region.”
Cargill has been operating in Belgium since 1953. Today, it employs more than 1,500 people across nine locations spanning production, R&D and regional coordination functions.
