Wells Enterprises, the US ice-cream business owned by Ferrero, is to invest in its production.

The company, acquired by Ferrero last year, plans to expand its facility in Dunkirk in New York state.

Products made at the plant are sold under brands including Blue Bunny, Halo Top and Blue Ribbon Classics.

The project is expected to more than double the factory’s output, which stands at more than 200m gallons (757m litres) of ice cream per year. The facility distributes products in all 50 states.

“The planned expansion of the Dunkirk facility follows our team’s continued strong performance over the last several months. That, coupled with the continued growth plan for our brands and the category overall makes expanding our Dunkirk facility the right choice for Wells,” COO Mark Meyer said.

Wells plans to start construction this autumn and expects the expanded site to be operational by late 2025. 

The company is headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa where it also operates two manufacturing facilities. It has another plant in Henderson, Iowa. It employs nearly 4,000 people in the US.

Italy-based Ferrero is one of the world’s largest chocolate makers and has ice-cream interests in Europe.

In 2019, Ferrero acquired a controlling stake in Spain-based ice-cream manufacturer Ice Cream Factory Comaker (ICFC) for an undisclosed sum.