Barry Callebaut names new Cameroon CEO after cocoa purchases drop
Blaise Kengne takes over at SIC Cacaos following a 14% decrease in cocoa bean supplies for the 2025-2026 season.
Blaise Kengne has been appointed CEO of SIC Cacaos and Barry Callebaut Cameroon, the country's largest industrial cocoa processor. Kengne announced his return to Cameroon in October 2026 after leading Barry Callebaut's operations in Nigeria. His arrival coincides with a 14% drop in cocoa bean purchases by SIC Cacaos during the 2025–2026 season.
SIC Cacaos received 40,012 tons of cocoa beans, a decrease of 6,520 tons from the previous year, according to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board. This decline contributed to a 13% overall drop in beans handled by Cameroon's industrial and small-scale processors, who processed 95,946 tons in total. SIC Cacaos still processed 41.8% of the beans supplied to industrial plants.
The slowdown in local cocoa processing affected other companies as well, with Atlantic Cocoa recording a decrease of 12,878 tons in bean supplies. The National Cocoa and Coffee Board reported the figures for the 2025–2026 season.
Why it mattersFarmers in Cameroon are affected by a 14% drop in cocoa bean purchases by the country's largest industrial processor.