McLean County Times

Hundreds of new jobs will be coming to Bloomington under Fererro North America's multi-million dollar plan to expand the company's chocolate facility.

In a June 14 press release, Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) commented on the expansion of Ferrero's Bloomington facility.

"On Monday Fererro North America announced an expansion of its chocolate plant in Bloomington, an expansion which will create as many as 200 jobs over the next four years," Brady said in the release. "Construction on the expansion will begin this fall and the new facility will open in 2024. The Fererro Bloomington facility will make Kinder Bueno, a chocolate bar popular in Europe which recently became available in the United States."

According to a press release from the city, Fererro North America plans to build a 169,000-square-foot addition dedicated to producing Kinder Bueno, a popular chocolate bar in Europe that only recently made its debut in the U.S. three years ago. The company plans to invest up to $214.4 million in the expansion project. It'll be one of the company's largest production lines outside Europe.

Todd Siwak, Fererro North America's President and Chief Business Officer, said the investment in Bloomington is sparking continued growth for the company and "we are thrilled" to continue to grow, according to BusinessFacilities.com.

According to a press release, the Bloomington facility was Fererro's first chocolate plant in North America.