Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest producer of cocoa, is working to increase the value of its cocoa industry by developing local processing. In 2026, both existing companies and new investors are showing increased interest in this area, marking a new phase in the country's industrial development. The Belgian-Swiss company Barry Callebaut, which has operated in Côte d'Ivoire for over 60 years through its subsidiary SACO, plans to triple its chocolate production capacity. This was announced during a meeting on October 6 between Barry Callebaut's CEO, Hein Schumacher, and the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Craft, Kalil Konaté. In December 2024, Barry Callebaut launched Choco Daga, its first local chocolate production line in Abidjan. This marked a shift from its previous focus on grinding beans and producing semi-finished products. The company now aims to strengthen its presence in local and regional markets and diversify its product range, though the investment amount and timeline for the expansion have not yet been disclosed. Barry Callebaut also operates two industrial units in Côte d'Ivoire with a combined grinding capacity of 230,000 tons of beans per year. New players are also entering the cocoa processing sector in Côte d'Ivoire. In September 2026, a German delegation led by Hermann Bühlbecker, president of the Lambertz group, visited the country to explore the possibility of local chocolate production. However, no investment has yet been confirmed. Earlier, in July 2026, the cooperative CADESA launched CocoaTech in San-Pédro, a processing unit with an initial capacity of 15,000 tons of beans per year. The facility, which represents an investment of about 15 million euros (16.8 million dollars), produces cocoa mass, butter, cake, and powder, with the potential to double its capacity in the future. This shift toward local processing is part of Côte d'Ivoire's broader strategy to increase the share of locally processed cocoa. Under the National Development Plan 2026-2030, the country aims to achieve a transformation rate of 50% by 2030, up from 42% in 2024. The goal includes developing industrial capacity and producing more finished products from cocoa. This is not a sudden change, as cocoa processing has been growing steadily over the past decade, with both increased industrial capacity and the proportion of locally processed cocoa. According to customs data, Côte d'Ivoire exported 613,200 tons of processed cocoa in 2024, worth 1,933 billion FCFA (3.3 billion dollars), compared to 442,200 tons in 2015, valued at 931 billion FCFA. As the industry grows, a key challenge remains: securing enough raw materials. During the meeting with Barry Callebaut, the Coffee-Cocoa Council stressed the need to ensure a stable supply of beans for industrial producers. Factors like plant diseases and climate change are threatening cocoa orchard productivity. To address this, the regulator plans to establish a research institute focused on coffee and cocoa, aiming to develop disease-resistant plants and improve resilience to climate change. Barry Callebaut has expressed support for this initiative and plans to use the National Traceability System for all its bean purchases in the future. For Côte d'Ivoire, the challenge now is not just to increase processing capacity, but to ensure that agricultural production, research, traceability, and infrastructure can keep up with industrial growth. For the world's leading cocoa producer, securing raw materials will be crucial to processing more beans and capturing a larger share of the value created by the sector.