Wells Enterprises, the privately-owned US ice cream business, is purchasing a factory in Nevada from consumer-goods giant Unilever.
The ice cream facility is located in the city of Henderson and provides Wells Enterprises with an “even larger platform for growth”, said Mike Wells, the chief executive of the family-run firm. The purchase price was not disclosed.
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Wells Enterprises has two manufacturing plants at its headquarters in Le Mars, Iowa, along with a site in Dunkirk, New York, and one in Lakewood, New Jersey. The company owns the brands Blue Bunny, Bomb Pop, Blue Ribbon Classics and its recently-introduced Chilly Cow. It also offers private-label and co-packing services.
CEO Wells added: “The Henderson acquisition benefits both parties. The facility has been well-maintained with high-quality employees ready and excited to continue making ice cream. Wells intends to have the industry-leading infrastructure and best practices to become the leader in quality, innovation, food safety and operational effectiveness in the ice cream category.”
The purchase of the factory in Henderson ensures the survival of the plant and its workers after Unilever said in June it planned to close the facility. All 250 Unilever staff will now switch to Wells Enterprises, which snapped up US-based private label ice cream maker Fieldbrook Foods in April, including the company’s factory in Dunkirk.
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