Top Swiss chocolate brand added to Ukraine's war sponsor list for operations in Russia

The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has included the Swiss manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products Barry Callebaut on the list of international war sponsors, reported the press service of the agency.

Barry Callebaut has been working in Russia for over 15 years and owns three factories.

The company produces goods under the brands Sicao and Chocovic, and also imports products under the brands Callebaut, Cacao Barry, Carma, Mona Lisa, Bensdorp, Van Hauten, La Morella. Every fourth chocolate and cocoa product in the world is made from Barry Callebaut products.

In Russia, Barry Callebaut operates through Barry Callebaut NL Russia LLC and Barry Callebaut Kaliningrad LLC. These companies paid $33 million in taxes to the budget of the Russian Federation in 2022.

Barry Callebaut NL Russia is also the founder of Inforoom-Prom CJSC and Gore Trade LLC. They paid almost $500,000 in taxes in Russia in 2022.

In November 2022, the French representative office of Barry Callebaut Cocoa AG supplied its products (cocoa paste, oil) to the Russian confectionery factory Vernost Kachestvu for about $180,000. Its chocolate is included in the dry rations of the Russian army.

In 2023, the company imported goods worth more than $94 million to the Russian market, which is more than three times higher than in 2022.

Shortly after the start of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine, the company announced the supply of chocolate to Russia as a staple good: "chocolate is part of the daily diet of many," the company said. This statement is manipulative, since according to the Russian legislation, neither chocolate nor cocoa-containing products belong to staple goods the NACP notes.

At the same time, the company's executive director, Peter Boone, said that "the military operation in Ukraine was initiated by the Russian government, not the Russian people. It does not seem right to us to remove ourselves from our customers and leave without products consumers who did not ask for this military operation."

There were no attempts by the company's management to condemn Russia's war against Ukraine.

Since the beginning of 2024, Ukraine has added the Subway restaurant chain and the Lithuanian Viciunai Group to the list of war sponsors.