Expanded Project Will Increase Capacity, Support Innovation and Enable Chocolate Ingredient Manufacturing
New Manufacturing Facility Will Support the Creation of 270 New Jobs to Produce Ice Cream and Frozen Novelty Products
New York State Investments Further Support Governor Hochul’s Commitment to Grow and Strengthen the Advanced Manufacturing Sector
Governor Kathy Hochul today, joined by company leadership, employees and community stakeholders, announced that Wells Enterprises is significantly expanding its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dunkirk. The now $425 million project will increase capacity of its current ice cream production, create new capabilities for future innovation, and add a first-of-its-kind chocolate manufacturing facility within the plant to use for ingredients in its ice cream and novelty products. This investment will enable the company to add 270 new jobs and retain approximately 380 full-time jobs. It will be one of the largest single private investments ever made in Chautauqua County. New York State is supporting the project with up to $12 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits and a $6 million grant from Empire State Development in exchange for job creation and capital investment commitments. The County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency is also working with the management team of Wells to provide support that will expedite the project.
“We are building momentum in Chautauqua County’s manufacturing sector, with multiple companies growing and creating hundreds of new jobs in Dunkirk and the region,” Governor Hochul said. “The expansion of the Wells Enterprises is an important win, and we're transforming a struggling plant into a high-tech facility that will benefit New York workers, local business partners, and the region’s hard-working dairy farmers."
The new Dunkirk facility will be about 350,000 square feet, more than doubling its current footprint. The facility’s production capabilities are expected to increase output to more than four times their current production to support the company’s growth in novelty and packaged ice cream. The newly announced expansion plans include all new production lines, more than doubling the number of manufacturing lines with high-output capabilities, creating new innovation capabilities, a new chocolate ingredient manufacturing facility, and best-in-class breakrooms, offices, and facilities designed to provide the best working environment for their team. Construction has already begun on the new facility. Wells is continuing to manufacture ice cream products in the existing facility while construction is underway.
The company’s growth will also benefit the dairy industry in the northeast. The planned expansion will continue to utilize millions of pounds of dairy annually. That number is expected to grow along with the overall consumption of ice cream. Fortune Business Insights estimates the global ice cream market will reach $132.32 billion in 2032, up from $76.11 billion in 2023 and reflecting the overall increase in the world’s craving for ice cream.
New York State has nearly 3,000 dairy farms that produce over 15 billion pounds of milk annually, making New York the nation's fifth largest dairy state. Additionally, New York ranks 4th nationally in ice cream manufacturing with 51 payrolled business locations ranking the state 3rd in ice cream production in the nation.
Last year the Ferrero Group, a global leader in sweet, packaged foods with leading brands like Nutella, Tic Tac, Ferrero Rocher and others, acquired Wells Enterprises, Inc. Wells is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 by Fred H. Wells and run by the Wells family for generations, the company is now an independent operating company of the Ferrero Group. Wells produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. Wells employs over 4,000 employees across the country. The company is headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa, and operates multiple manufacturing plants, including the Dunkirk facility, located at 1 Ice Cream Drive. These facilities play an important role in the company’s expansion plans for its national manufacturing network of its Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop and Blue Ribbon Classics brands.
The ice cream plant will also continue to utilize Americold’s new cold-storage distribution facility located in the Town of Dunkirk, which is providing much-needed storage for the food supply chain in the area. Americold’s $41 million project was supported by up to $700,000 in performance-based taxed credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program in return for the creation of 60 full-time jobs.
Additional information about the Ferrero Group, Wells Enterprises, and Wells Enterprises B-Roll video.
About Empire State Development
Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency. The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the New York State Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I LOVE NY,” the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, please visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.
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