Governor JB Pritzker joined Ferrero North America, as well as state and local officials, to announce a new expansion of Ferrero's Bloomington facility which will be the first North American location to produce Kinder Bueno products.
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The company's commitment to further expand its Bloomington facility is expected to bring a $214.4 million investment and create 200 new jobs over four years - generating economic benefit for the region and state.
The new facility is expected to be complete in 2024.
The newly announced expansion will add 169,000 square feet dedicated to producing Kinder Bueno, a popular Ferrero premium chocolate bar that launched in the U.S. in 2019.
This builds on a significant economic impact generated annually by the company - with nearly $300 million in output in Illinois alone, over 1,350 current full-time staff in Illinois, and more than 350 in Bloomington, making it one of the largest employers in the area.
Additionally, Ferrero partners with Heartland Community College on an apprenticeship partnership that strengthens the workforce pipeline by training and certifying maintenance workers at the plant.
The new Kinder Bueno production facility is an expansion of Ferrero's existing Bloomington manufacturing center, which is currently constructing a processing expansion for chocolate for Crunch, 100Grand, Raisinets, and other Ferrero products for the North American market, with expected completion in 2023.
Ferrero has made Illinois - and North America - a focus for investment in recent years, with the acquisition of the Bloomington plant in 2018, breaking ground on a processing plant in 2021, and further expansion of the Bloomington Production facility.
The company's footprint in the North American market now totals eight offices and ten plants and warehouses, including a cocoa processing plant in Brantford, Ontario.
As part of the expansion, the company received an Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit, which stipulates a goal of investing $103 million and creating 75 jobs over the next two years. ■