Posted on 03/23/2017 2:10:15 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — German candymaker Haribo, which is known for its brightly colored gummy bears and bow tie-wearing gold bear mascot, plans to build its first North American factory in southeastern Wisconsin not far from Chicago, Gov. Scott Walker announced Thursday.
The facility is slated to be operational by 2020 and employ 400 people once fully up and running, Walker and economic development officials said. An exuberant Walker held up two bags of Haribo candy during a Capitol news conference, but declined to actually eat any because he said he gave up sweets for Lent.
The $242 million candymaking plant is to be built in Pleasant Prairie, which is near Kenosha and just 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Chicago.
"We couldn't be more pleased," Walker said. He credited the combination of available workers, tax incentives, nearby technical colleges and universities, and a global transportation network with luring Haribo when it "can be anywhere in the world, anywhere here in North America, anywhere in the country, anywhere in the Midwest."
Rick LaBerge, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Haribo of America Inc., said in a statement that choosing the site of the company's first North American factory was an "elaborate process" that took many years. Haribo opened its first North American sales office in Baltimore in 1982.
Walker said in a news release that the 500,000-square-foot facility will be one of the largest candy manufacturing sites in the U.S.
Mark Hogan, director of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp, said the state is still in the process of finalizing a package of tax incentives to lure the company and would not release details of the deal until that was completed.
The village of Pleasant Prairie bought more than 400 acres (160 hectares) for $37.5 million and is in the process of selling a portion of that to Haribo for the project, said village administrator Michael Pollocoff.
Haribo was founded in 1920 and has become a global candy juggernaut, known for its bright, teddy-bear shaped candy. The company, based in Ronn, Germany, says it produces 100 million gummy bears each day in its 16 current factories in Europe. The company employs 7,000 people worldwide and also makes a broad selection of other gummy treats, from licorice to fizzy cola to sour cherries.
"This is a sweet day for Kenosha County," said Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser.
Walker made the announcement after the state Department of Workforce Development said state unemployment was 3.7 percent in February, the lowest since November 2000.
Luv My Gov! :)
*GUMMY BEAR PING*
Love gummy bears!!!!!!!!
Reminds me of my high school lunch: Coke classic big gulp and a bag of gummy bears. I alternated the gummy bears with pretzel rods so I would get at least a little nutriton. =^)
CC
I’ve heard of Haribo. All that time, I assumed this was the name of a Japanese or Chinese company due to the sound and spelling of that name.
Yuengling Beer is another product that sounds as though it may be Chinese made, but isn’t.
Yuengling Beer ... Mmmmmm....
Their Lager is excellent... and Dick Yuengling is a big time conservative.
One of “The Good Guys”.
Great! Now I want a beer AND some gummy bears! ;)
Be sure to give your liberal friends a big bag of sugar-free gummy bears. It might improve their outlook/mood. (Google Amazon sugar-free gummy bear review). You’ll thank me later.
If you hate someone, gift them the one pound plus haribo sugar free gummy bears.
Oh, I’m certain that Wisconsin LibTards are already preparing a boycott on Gummy Bears in our state, LOL!
Gummi-Colas are my favorite non-chocolate candy!
Best Amazon reviews ever....
Awesome reading.
Hooray for new business, and new jobs!
Before they became well known in the US my high school German club used to get cases of these bears and sell them. Easiest club sales ever. It was like having the only donut stand at an FOP convention.
If you get constipated, gummy bears will do the trick. Just
a handful or so. Eat too many & you get the runs. Learned
this from a German lady. (So don’t complain about “diarrhea”
if you eat a lot of them.)
You alternate with insulin now? I hope not!
Sadly, I do. Stupidity of youth.
CC
They should put it in Baraboo, just for grins.
Hey...... my grandkids will love THIS news. haa. Nice Work, Gov. Walker.
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