Ferrero opens its first North American chocolate processing plant in Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Chocolate giant Ferrero is putting their first North America chocolate processing plant in Bloomington.

Ferrero added 70,000 square feet to its existing facility a move that will allow it to produce chocolate used in iconic products like Kinder®, Ferrero Rocher®, Butterfinger® and CRUNCH®.

To commemorate the $75 million expansion, Gov. JB Pritzker and local leaders were on hand for the grand opening of the plant which is only the company’s third across the globe.

The governor said the move is an “exciting addition to a thriving manufacturing landscape in the region.”

“We have worked hard to make this one of the best states in the nation to do business, and to help companies like Ferrero deepen their roots here,” he said. “Illinois is a leading state for food production and today’s announcement reaffirms our position in that. In fact, we’re developing quite a thriving and foods and sweets manufacturing and ecosystem across the state.”

Local officials, including Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe, were equally as excited, saying the Ferrero’s commitment in the “latest in a string of public and private investments” for the city.

“Ferrero and other companies are choosing to invest millions of dollars in Bloomington and the region at record levels which should be seen as a testament to our strong workforce, unmatched quality of life and the creation of a welcoming business development climate through the city and our team of community partners,” he said.

Ferrero owns several buildings around Illinois, including a manufacturing plant in Franklin Park, where they focus on Butterfinger and Baby Ruth products. It also produces Keebler products at a plant in Chicago.

“With high-quality expertly crafted chocolate flowing from here into beloved products made across the continent, Bloomington truly becomes the heart of our operations in North America,” said Alanna Cotton, Ferrero’s president and chief business officer for its North America division. “Ferrero and Bloomington are going to be greater together for years to come.” ​

Ferrero is one of the largest employers in the area, with 1,500 full-time staff in Illinois, which includes more than 500 in Bloomington.

The company has also partnered with Heartland Community College on an apprenticeship program to train and certify maintenance workers for the plant.

This is the second time Pritzker visited the Bloomington Normal area in the last week. He also visited Rivian on Thursday to announce a $827 million investment into Rivian, to help Rivian’s Normal Facility produce the company’s newest car model.

Pritzker said his frequent visits are due to the great economic development in the Twin Cities.

“Companies want to come here, they want to be in central Illinois,” Pritzker said. “So we’re just trying to make it easier for them to come at the state level by providing some tax incentives so they know we’re here, we can compete with other states. It’s very exciting fact that I’ve been here twice and in less than a week to cut ribbons on New manufacturing is a testament to the people of Bloomington.”

In addition to the facility that opened Tuesday, Ferrero plans to create an additional 200 jobs with the Kinder Bueno production facility. The company started the $214 million project in 2022. It’s expected to open later this year.

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