Ferrero Brantford celebrated its 20th anniversary alongside over 1,000 employees and their families during a special event on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The Brantford facility, which opened in 2006, became Ferrero’s flagship North American manufacturing plant, employing 99 workers and producing Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and Tic Tac mints.
Today, the site employs more than 1,300 full-time employees and manufactures Nutella, Nutella & GO!, Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Squares, and Tic Tac mints across 53 production lines. The facility is also set to begin producing Nutella Biscuits later this year.
The plant also produces a variety of ingredients for Ferrero facilities around the world, including hazelnut paste for Kinder Bueno, cocoa butter, cocoa paste, and cocoa liqueur.
Eric Houdet, Senior Vice-President of Industrial Operations for Canada and Brantford plant director, said the facility’s success would not have been possible without the employees’ hard work and commitment.
“Twenty years ago, we opened the plant with just 99 people. Italians came overseas and worked with a wonderful Canadian workforce, the local one, to build this fantastic plant. We’ll have, 20 years later, more than 2000 people working well together with the Nutella Biscuits lines coming soon,” he said. “That’s unique and it’s thanks to your high engagement to make our wonderful product, and to bring joy at home. For Ferrero, North America is a key market and we are doing well, especially in Brantford. We are the flagship [facility] in North America, the largest [Ferrero] plant in North America and the fourth biggest [Ferrero] plant in the world, and we keep growing. This is all thanks to you and your hard work.”
Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, acknowledged Ferrero’s anniversary, saying it was an incredible milestone for the company and the city.
“It’s a remarkable achievement, but more importantly, it’s a testament to leadership, perseverance and all the great employees here,” he said. “…To all the employees that are here today, all the past employees, the leadership team, the members of the leadership team that have been here in the past, and former mayor Mike Hancock, who was involved in bringing Ferrero here to this town, thank you. Thank you for what you’ve done, what you continue to do for our community, and I hope the next 20 years are as sweet as the last 20 years have been.”
Following remarks from Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford-Brant, and Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant South-Six Nations, Houdet, dignitaries and a large group of employees and their families gathered for the cake cutting.
Afterwards, youngsters in attendance took advantage of several bouncy castles, while others participated in different games and activities, enjoyed a snack or two, took photos with mascot Kinderino and interacted with Coco, Ferrero’s semi-autonomous robotic inspection dog.
Inside, many adults took the opportunity to tour the plant. Houdet himself took a small group of people around the facility, showing them how Ferrero Rocher’s are assembled step-by-step and how products like Nutella and Nutella & Go! are packaged and prepared for shipment all over the world.
With the smell of chocolate and hazelnut filling every section of the plant, guests got to see how robotics and employees work hand-in-hand to create some of the company’s most iconic products.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
