Ferrero's Brantford Milestones
Ferrero Marks 20 Years in Brantford with Major Expansion, New Cocoa Plant, and Product Milestones
Anonymous
Ferrero marked 20 years in Brantford, Ontario, on June 13, 2026, celebrating with over 1,000 employees and local leaders at a facility that has grown from a 99-person startup into the company's largest plant in North America. Plant director Eric Houdet told the crowd, "You are like magicians. You are making people happy every day," according to Brantford Expositor.
The anniversary coincides with a $445-million expansion announced in 2025 that will add 500 jobs, pushing the total workforce past 2,100. The Brantford site now produces 7 million individual Ferrero Rocher chocolates every single day, Brantford Expositor reported.
From 99 Workers to North America's Candy Capital
Ferrero opened its Brantford doors in 2006, making Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, and Tic Tac Mints. The plant was the company's first manufacturing site anywhere in North America. By 2021, it had reached 100 million kilograms of product per year, according to Brantford Expositor.
Michael Lindsey, President of Ferrero North America, called the site "the cornerstone of our North American operations" and said it "supplies a large portion of the product that we sell throughout Canada and the United States," according to Stratford Beacon Herald. Mayor Kevin Davis added that Ferrero has "really boosted our community over the last 20 years."
World Firsts Roll Off the Brantford Production Line
In October 2025, Brantford became the first place on Earth to manufacture Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Squares. Later in 2026, production of Nutella Biscuits is set to begin — also a global first outside of Europe, according to Chatham Daily News.
The plant also runs Ferrero's only cocoa processing facility outside Europe. It produces cocoa paste, cocoa butter, and cocoa liqueur. Some goes straight into local manufacturing. The rest is exported to other Ferrero plants around the world, Brantford Expositor reported. A 2016 expansion costing $90 million built that cocoa unit, which spans 70,000 square feet.
$445 Million Investment Backed by Ontario Government
Premier Doug Ford joined Ferrero executives in April 2025 to announce the $445-million expansion. Ontario chipped in $36 million through the Invest Ontario Fund. Ford called the deal "game-changing" during a period of "global economic uncertainty," according to Paris Star.
Omar Zausa, President of Ferrero Canada, said the investment is a "tangible sign of the commitment of Ferrero to expand in North America." Invest Ontario's CEO, Khawar Nasim, called it a "remarkable win" for the province's manufacturing strategy, according to Woodstock Sentinel Review.
Brantford Looks Ahead as Economic Worries Loom
Not everyone at the celebration kept the mood purely festive. MP Larry Brock used the milestone to flag a harder national picture. He said Ferrero's commitment was "reassuring" given the "number of businesses just giving up on the Canadian dream" and moving operations to the United States, according to Brantford Expositor.
Future phases of the plant will bring in robotics and Internet of Things technology to automate more of the production process. Houdet summed up the mood simply: "I hope the next 20 years are as sweet," according to The Observer.
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