Prime Highlights :
- Ferrero has grown its US revenue from about $600 million in 2017 to roughly $3 billion.
- The company has invested more than $5 billion in the US over the past five years through acquisitions and manufacturing expansion.
Key Facts :
- Ferrero’s US portfolio now includes more than 50 brands across chocolate, candy, cookies and breakfast cereals.
- Ferrero employs more than 5,000 people across North America after expanding its US operations over the past decade.
Background :
Italian food giant Ferrero is rapidly expanding its presence in the US by acquiring well-known food brands and investing in local manufacturing. The company now owns more than 50 US brands across chocolate, candy, cookies and breakfast cereals.
Ferrero’s US business has grown sharply over the past decade. The US now contributes about 15% of its global revenue, compared with around 4% a decade ago. Annual US revenue has also increased from about $600 million in 2017 to roughly $3 billion.
The company began its major US expansion in 2017 with the $115 million purchase of Fannie May. In 2018, it acquired Nestlé’s US confectionery business for $2.8 billion, adding brands such as Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and Crunch.
Ferrero expanded further in 2019 by buying Kellogg’s cookie and fruit-snack businesses, bringing Keebler and Famous Amos into its portfolio. In February, it completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of WK Kellogg, adding major cereal brands including Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies.
Ferrero has invested more than $5 billion in the US over the past five years. It opened a research and innovation centre in Chicago in 2023 and launched Nutella Peanut in April after years of development.
The company is also increasing US production. It opened its first North American chocolate-processing plant in Bloomington, Illinois, in 2024 and invested more than $200 million to expand Kinder Bueno production there.
Ferrero now employs more than 5,000 people across North America, compared with a few hundred about a decade ago. The company aims to become a larger force in the US food market by combining acquisitions with local product development and manufacturing.
