The grants will support collaborative efforts from Oregon State University and Rutgers University with local farmers, producers and distributors to advance sustainability and efficiency in the hazelnut industry.
Since its introduction in late 2019, Kinder Bueno has reached No. 17 in sales among mainstream chocolate brands, hitting more than $214 million in retail sales in the past year.
Ferrero North America, part of the global confectionery company the Ferrero Group, broke ground on a new 70,000-square-foot chocolate processing facility in Bloomington, Illinois. It will be the Ferrero Group's third facility that processes chocolate, and its first outside of Europe. The new plant is set to open in spring 2023.