Italian confectioner Ferrero said Wednesday it is acquiring Wells Enterprises, one of the largest U.S. ice cream makers, in a deal that will broaden both companies’ offerings.
Wells, a 100-year-old family-owned company based in Le Mars, Iowa, makes Blue Bunny, Halo Top and other brands. It employs 4,000 people and produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year at plants in Iowa, New York and Nevada. The company also has offices in downtown Chicago, where it employs about 50 people working in marketing, analytics, finance and legal divisions, said Chief Operating Officer Mark Meyer.Blue Bunny and Halo Top brand ice cream products are seen in Englewood, N.
The Ferrero Group, which was founded in Italy in 1946 and is now based in Luxembourg, is also family owned. Its brands — sold in more than 170 countries — include Kinder, Nutella, Tic Tac and Ferrero Rocher. Ferrero has more than 38,000 employees, including more than 1,350 employees in Illinois.Wells Enterprises will remain a stand-alone business, and the acquisition won’t immediately impact any jobs.
Mike Wells said Wednesday he met some of Ferrero’s leaders in 2019 on unrelated trip to Europe and sent them some ice cream samples in 2020. During virtual taste testings, Wells showed Ferrero how it could recreate some of the company’s treats using ice cream. Mike Wells invited Ferrero’s leadership to an annual ice cream celebration in Le Mars in June, and the acquisition talks took off from there.
Mike Wells said the combination will give his company access to Ferrero’s brands and scale. Ferrero has 8,000 employees and 18 plants in North America.
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Ferrero buys Blue Bunny ice cream maker Wells EnterprisesItalian confectioner Ferrero said Wednesday it is acquiring Wells Enterprises, one of the largest U.S. ice cream makers, in a deal that will broaden both companies’ offerings. Wells, a 100-year-old family-owned company based in Le Mars, Iowa, makes Blue Bunny, Halo Top and other brands.
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