(from left) Karel Zimmermann, regional director, North America; Rik Balcaen, strategic business unit director, chocolate; and Frédéric Duvauchelle, general manager, Puratos Chocolate USA; cut the ribbon to open the new facility.

Puratos Corp. USA celebrated the grand opening of its new chocolate innovation center and upgraded production facility recently in Kenosha, Wis. The opening coincided with the formal launch of Chocolanté, a new line of chocolate formulated to produce the preferred chocolate flavor profiles of the American consumer. Puratos also announced the rejuvenation of the Carat line of chocolates and renewed commitment to the Belcolade line. Carat offers a range of compound chocolate coatings and cocoa and nut-based fillings, and Belcolade provides real Belgian chocolate flavors.

Puratos Chocolate USA Inc., formerly known as Debelis Corp., is the new chocolate leg of Puratos USA. The company will be responsible for sales of the real and compound chocolates, including fillings, produced in the Kenosha plant, as well as sales of Belcolade across the country. The facility features a new, state-of-the-art Chocolate Innovation Center, one of several initiatives designed to ensure delivery and fulfillment of high quality chocolate on time and at competitive prices. The innovation center allows Puratos and its customers to work together to design high end chocolate products for a variety of applications.

In addition to the Innovation Center and consumer-relevant range of Chocolanté, Carat and Belcolade products, Puratos invested in upgrading production processes, packaging material, quality control and safety.