The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd is on way to prosperity.

A sign of it was evident recently when it received export order for 100 tonnes of cocoa butter from the US.

According to Campco officials, the consignment will move from Mangalore in a few days' time. The first batch of 20 tonnes is likely to be shipped in the next 10 days. The cooperative hopes to complete the shipment of the remaining 80 tonnes by the end of May.

Cocoa butter is one of the products being manufactured at the chocolate factory of the cooperative at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district.

The cooperative's other products are also in demand in foreign shores. Another chocolate product  - Winner, a drink - has good demand in African countries.

The cooperative has exported considerable quantity of 'Winner' in the past nine months. However, the product is marketed under a different brand name there.

The chocolate products of Campco have witnessed a growth of 30 per cent in the domestic market during the current fiscal against the previous year.

In its efforts to provide quality service to compete in global market, the cooperative has taken up work on upgrading infrastructure at the chocolate factory.

Rs 2 crore would be invested in a phased manner on upgrading infrastructure at the factory. As part of this project, Rs 25 lakh has already been invested in upgrading the quality control laboratory, which is ready for use.

The original laboratory, which was set up in 1986 during the inception of the factory, was found inadequate in meeting the diversified requirements of sophisticated customers. The new laboratory can accept any sort of challenges for food testing.

A new warehouse is coming up on the premises of the factory at a cost of around Rs 1 crore for storing finished chocolate products.