Just in time for the German candy maker’s 100th anniversary, HARIBO has begun construction on its 130-acre plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
“HARIBO is the fastest growing confectionery brand in the United States. I’m proud that its products, which put smiles on the faces of Americans from coast-to-coast, will be made right here in Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said in a December proclamation of HARIBO Gummi Day in Wisconsin to honor the company. “We warmly welcome HARIBO to a long list of family-run enterprises that form the economic backbone of our state, making best-in-class products that reach every corner of the globe.”
HARIBO was founded in December of 1920. Since then, the company has grown to employ nearly 7,000 people in 10 countries. The company says a U.S. location was necessary to help eliminate the nearly three months it takes for its products to arrive on store shelves. The state-of-the-art facility, the largest project in the company’s history, is expected to produce 132 million pounds of gummi candies annually.
Under the company’s enterprise zone agreement with the state, HARIBO is eligible for up to $22.5 million in tax credits, based on the $239.6 million capital investment and 385 jobs created. The company looked at several other locations in Illinois when considering options for its first U.S. production facility, but ultimately chose Pleasant Prairie due to its proximity to the interstate, utility costs and quality of life for employees.
“HARIBO’s commitment to quality, excellence and joy makes it precisely the kind of company we want and can well support in Wisconsin,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). “The company is a perfect fit with our food production tradition and joins an enviable roster of iconic consumer brands that call Wisconsin home.”
Wisconsin’s Enterprise Zone Tax Credits are available to assist businesses that have major expansion projects or are locating or relocating major business operations from other states or countries.
