Mars Wrigley’s investment into its Ballarat factory expansion is approaching $100 million after the company announced that it would spend a further $25 million – on top of the $67 million spent during the past two years.
The new funding, said the company, will improve raw cocoa and melted chocolate production, deliver consumer-led product innovations, support sustainable packaging initiatives, and improve operational efficiency across its Bitesize Portfolio, which includes brands like M&M’s, Maltesers, and Pods.
Andrew Leakey, GM for Mars Wrigley, said the company is committed to making the majority of its product portfolio in Australia, and the new round of investments will help support this ambition.
“This latest investment will allow us to bolster our production capabilities for our Bitesize Portfolio, which will be critical to our growth over the coming three years,” said Leakey.
“We are cementing this further by unlocking greater capabilities to create new consumer-led product innovation whilst accelerating our sustainable packaging focus locally.”
He said the expansion would improve the confectionery’s domestic processing and manufacturing capabilities and continue its “long and proud legacy” in Ballarat.
“We see substantial opportunities in this space, with many exciting projects currently underway,” he added.
The Ballarat site has been operational for 40 years and exports products to 17 countries worldwide. It is also the only location that makes Pods, with an estimated 1 billion pieces a year, and the capacity to produce 5 billion M&M’s per year.
