Today on World Chocolate Day, Mars Wrigley announces it has bolstered its local manufacturing capability by investing over $300,000 to bring new technologies to its chocolate factory in Ballarat, Victoria.
The investment to produce M&M’S Pretzel locally, bringing the salty and sweet treat to Australia for the first time. Additionally, the latest investment expands the capability for the Ballarat factory to create filled M&M’S and explore more Australian-made innovations for M&M’S.
“We are dedicated to continuing to support Australia’s manufacturing sector and invest and innovate in infrastructure, equipment and processes at our local factories to ensure they remain world class. This latest project is part of our long-term ambition to continue to drive and develop our core bitesize brands that we manufacture locally in Ballarat,” says General Manager of Mars Wrigley Australia, Andrew Leakey.
The Ballarat factory currently has the capacvity to produce over five billion M&M’S per year – a distance equivalent to traveling around Australia 3.5 times (56,000 kilometres) – with M&M’S Prtezel the latest addition to its local production line.
The investment follows the Ballarat factory’s 40th Anniversary, which it celebrated in November last year and builds on the $14 million invested into the Ballarat factory to maintain and upgrade its operations in 2018.
M&M’S Pretzel will be available in major supermarkets nationwide next week, first in Coles (w/c 13 July) and then in Woolworths from 28 July.