On Tuesday, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, local stakeholders, and Ferrero North America leadership to celebrate the grand opening of the continent’s first Ferrero chocolate factory in Bloomington, Illinois. The 70,000 square-foot expansion to Ferrero’s manufacturing campus in Bloomington will produce chocolate used in iconic products like Kinder®, Ferrero Rocher®, Butterfinger®, and CRUNCH®. The facility is the company’s first chocolate processing plant in North America and third globally. Governor Pritzker joined the Ferrero North America team three years ago to break ground on the new facility, and the construction was completed this year. This $75 million investment from Ferrero builds on the company’s continued impact in Illinois. In 2018, Ferrero took over management of a manufacturing plant in Franklin Park, Illinois, where they focus on Butterfinger and Baby Ruth products. The company also manufactures Keebler products at a plant located on 110th street in Chicago. In 2023, Ferrero opened an Innovation Center and R&D Lab in Chicago’s Marshall Field and Company Building.