With production underway at its U.S. candy plant in Pleasant Prairie, Haribo of America is already designing a second phase of equal size, with two more that could bring the total plant to about 2 million square feet.
The second phase that is in the planning stages would bring 400 more jobs to the facility in addition to the 400 already expected for completed buildings, said Wes Saber, executive vice president and CFO of Haribo of America.
Candy production started in December in Pleasant Prairie. Saber said that in Wisconsin Haribo has 187 direct employees, plus about 60 employed by other companies for shipping operations. Haribo intends to fill 220 more jobs for the buildings it has already completed in Pleasant Prairie, he said.
“We are deeply rooted in Wisconsin now,” Saber said.
Haribo reported spending $148.5 million on that first phase of construction, according to the most recent data available from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The state in 2017 awarded up to $22.5 million in tax credits for Haribo, and has released $8.6 million of that to the company thus far.
[Adapted from: Haribo plans to double size of Pleasant Prairie plant as it looks to build 2 million square feet. Sept. 21, 2023, Milwaukee Business Journal]