Ferrero opens Kinder Bueno production facility in Bloomington

Posted on October 2, 2024

Ferrero commemorates the opening of its Kinder Bueno production facility in Bloomington. Front row left to right: VP of Industrial Operations Ferrero Federico Forti, Sales Director Ferrero Erin Ross; Chief Customer Officer Ferrero, Jim Klein; Senior Merchandising Director, DMM – Convenience & Fuel, Walmart Mark Larson; VP Merchandising – Candy & Impulse Walmart Ryan Peterson; President and Chief Business Officer Ferrero North America Michael Lindsey; Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe; SVP Marketing, Ferrero, Catherine Bertrac; Illinois State Representative Sharon Chung; Illinois State Senator Sally Turner, and VP Marketing Ferrero Shalini Stansberry. (Photo courtesy Ferrero)

BLOOMINGTON – Ferrero is bringing 200 new jobs to the community with the opening of its first American Kinder Bueno production facility.

The chocolate company celebrated the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday. Guests received treat bags and ice cream for people to top off with Kinder Bueno pieces. The creator of Nutella, Crunch and 100 Grand broke ground two years ago on the 169-square-foot facility.

“It makes me feel great. You know, it really is a testament to a lot of the things that we have done locally, not only with our staff being very easy to work with, but also some of the things that we do in terms of quality of life,” said Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe. “We’ve done a lot of things locally to make Wilmington a great place to live very safe. And so that’s important.”

Monday’s celebration comes less than six months after Ferrero cut the ribbon for its first American chocolate factory located on the same site.

“I’m sure all of the other companies that are investing in Bloomington are seeing the same things we are, the combination of great employees, really good infrastructure and proximity to major, major metro markets make it an absolutely ideal place to invest, said Michael Lindsey, President and Chief Business Officer for Ferrero North America. “So I have to imagine all of our other partners who are investing in the area are seeing the same things that we are.”

This project cost was $214 million.

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