PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Ferrero North America, part of the Ferrero Group, is opening an innovation center, research and development lab and offices in Chicago’s Marshall Field and Co. building, which will house employees from Ferrero's Old Post Office location.
“Our goal for this space is to reflect Ferrero's unique heritage and provide an opportunity to create greater synergies among our teams. This new space will foster the collaboration, creativity and culture that Ferrero is known for around the world,” said Todd Siwak, president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America. “I am proud of our growing footprint in Illinois and strongly believe that this innovation center will propel our teams forward to become leaders in the sweet packaged foods category.”
The new location will bring in 170 cross-functional team members, and the move will take place over two phases. All current Ferrero Chicago employees will move to a temporary office space while construction is completed on the final space. The office at the Marshall Field and Co. building is set be complete by spring of 2023.
“We are thrilled to join Ferrero as it announces that Chicago will be home to the company's first innovation center in the United States,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “Chicago is a global destination for innovation and Ferrero will be well-placed here, benefiting from the city's connectivity to the world and its strong network of companies driven by tech and innovation. I congratulate Ferrero on this move and welcome them to Chicago as I look forward to more companies realizing Chicago's incredible potential.”
The announcement is the latest in a series of milestones in Ferrero's growth in North America. The company is investing $214.4 million to build a chocolate processing facility and a new plant to make Kinder Bueno products in Bloomington, Ill. Construction is slated to start by fall 2022 and is anticipated to create up to 200 new jobs over a four-year period, according to the company.
The new line—which will manufacture Kinder Bueno bars and minis—represents the first time Kinder products will be made in North America. First launched in the market in 2019, Kinder Bueno is now a $167 million brand in North America, growing more than 51% over the past year, said the company.
It is also expanding capacity in its Brantford, Ontario, plant. In the past few years, Parsippany, N.J.-based Ferrero has opened new distribution centers in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
Ferrero was founded in 1946 in Alba, Italy, and is one of the largest companies in the global chocolate confectionery market, with sales of more than $12 billion. The company distributes in more than 170 countries and is known for brands including Tic Tac breath mints, Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates, Nutella Hazelnut Spread and Fannie May chocolates.
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