Mars Inc. has invested $50 million into its Wrigley plant in Yorkville, IL to add a new Skittles line. The expansion adds 145,000 square feet to the facility and creates 75 new jobs—a 25 percent increase in the workforce at the plant.
“Mars has a long-standing history of making our products in the markets where they’re sold,” says Wrigley Americas President Casey Keller. “With the expansion of our Skittles production footprint, we are proud to continue that tradition right here in the state that Wrigley has called home for 125 years.”
Mars says the addition marks the growth in demand for the Skittles brand—now the leading non-confection brand in the US as of May, according to Nielson data.
In addition to Skittles, Wrigley’s Yorkville factory produces brands such as Life Savers, Doublemint and Juicy Fruit.